delicate hands
by claraoswins
Summary: (AU) The story of how Derek met Mary, a young and delicate being, and how she died and he brought her back to life. / I don't want to lose the very first person that handed me his heart… because I know that if I die, he dies with me.
1. INTRO

**Hey everyone! This is my very first TW fic and please don't be too hard on me since English is not my first language. I'll do my best, I promise!  
So, the thing is, Derek has been put through enough s*** and I really just want to give him something good and permanent, something he'll be able to hold on to. And Mary Bennett was born! Eheh, seriously, I hope you'll like it. This is not a chapter, it's just a little intro, make sure you let me know what you think. :)_  
_**

* * *

_"__Dear Diary,_

_I'm sorry I've been away for so long. In fact, I don't have much time left and this may be the last thing I will write on these pages. Funny how sometimes things don't work out the way we want them too. I don't believe in God but I lost faith in almost everything and I desperately need something to hold on to; do you think he'll let me in? I mean, in heaven?_

_I don't want to die but I also don't want to defy the laws of nature._

_Truth is, I was comfortable with the idea of dying young, I really was, but it all changed when I met Derek (even though I knew there was something seriously wrong with him). He's been there for me; he even knew about my medical condition before I told him. Now he keeps saying that he can save me; all I have to do is say the word.  
__  
I don't want to leave him but I also don't want to become a monster." _There were watermarks blurring some of the words, some of them were even illegible or scratched, but the wolf kept reading the diary.

_"I keep having the same nightmare every night. In the beginning I'm standing in a field of blue roses (I swear I can smell them while I sleep), but just as I lean in closer to them, to touch them, they just… die. One by one. The field turns from blue to grey, _ashes_._

_Then, I start panicking but there's no way to run and my legs won't move. I'm stuck to the ground. That's when it gets worse. I hear something behind me and as I turn around, I see a wolf. Better yet, a she wolf with bright blue eyes. It's me. I scream. I wake up._

_My time is running out and I don't know what to do. All I know is that I don't want to lose the very first person that handed me his heart… because I know that if I die, he dies with me._

_I don't want to kill him."_

Derek put down the diary, almost incapable of holding back the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. Gazing down at Mary, peacefully asleep right beside him, he feared it was just a matter of time before she would wake up screaming.

The wolf hated to admit it but Mary was right about something she wrote in her diary. If she died, he would die too; maybe not physically, but his mind, his soul and his heart would die along with her. He would blame himself for the rest of his life with the same old question "_What if I had saved her?"_

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**Now, what do you think? Should I keep writting? I have a lovely plot for them and I'd be so happy to share everything with you! :) Please review and let me know!**

**Lots of love! x**


	2. Drowning

**Hey everyone! I'm a few chapters ahead on this fic and I'm LOVING writing it! So, this is the first chapter and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it! Hope you'll like my precious baby Mary and, once more, don't mind my grammar mistakes since English is not my first language. I did my best, though. (: ENJOY!**

**Ps: this takes place after the last episode of season 3, except Kate Is still 'dead' on my fic. Also, it's the last year of high school and the beginning of September. && song suggestion:**

**_sir sly – ghost_**

* * *

It wasn't always easy being the sick little girl of the class, specially the sports class. Mary used to be a champion, the "golden mermaid" – as they used to call her – of the swimming team. She used to be a great swimmer, an awarded one, but that was until the day the brunette was diagnosed with an aneurism. "_You can still do what you love but you should stay out of competitions._" The doctor said, claiming it would only bring her more stress into her life and the aneurism could decide to blow up at any minute. "_Hopefully, you still have your life in front of you_." The hell she had.

When faced with the news, Mary succumbed to depression and even thought she had been trying to recover for almost six months, it would only get harder every day.

The brunette would watch the swimming team every day of the week, cheering for her friends, giving them strength to win the title she once had (funny thing she would find strength for others but none for herself). Mary would also sneak into the swimming pool at her house at night and would float above the water, starring at the dark sky and the stars. She would cry, every day.

That night wasn't any different. It was past midnight and Mary was supposed to attend a school dance the next day but, in that moment, incapable of going to sleep, water was her only escape, her only sanctuary. Take that away from her and Mary will fall apart.

Suddenly, the brunette saw a shooting star. She had lost count of how many wishes she had already made, but Mary would always whisper them again, and again, and again. Hope was all she had left, so why not wish upon a shooting star?

"I want the aneurism to go away. I want to go back to the swimming team. I want to be the 'golden mermaid' again. _I want to live_."

* * *

"I still can't believe you convinced him to go with you." Scott forced a smile but Derek didn't seem to notice; the tall man was too busy trying to knot a green tie around his neck but was constantly failing miserably. Lydia smiled back, though it was also a sad, forced smile.

"I was planning on going with Stiles but since he's sort of dating that weird asylum girl, I knew Derek wouldn't let me down." Of course Lydia was referring to Malia Tate and of course she only asked Derek to be her date because everyone else from the school was already taken but it didn't bother him.

Everyone was grieving in their own way and the green eyed man felt that the girl in front of him had already been put through enough; despite the fact that she almost die, she also had to attend Allison's funeral, Aiden's funeral and, even though she wouldn't say a word about it, it was hard for the redhead to see Stiles falling for a girl who wasn't her.

There was just _too much_ going on and it surely was _too much_ for a young girl to go through; Derek, somehow, felt responsible in all that. Of course he wouldn't say no to Lydia, he wouldn't let her down, even if it meant attending to some stupid ball, or dance, or whatever they called it, wearing a stupid suit.

"I'm not wearing this thing." He grumbled, taking off his tie. Lydia let out a small gasp as she herself proceeded to give a knot to the green tie; a few seconds after that, the young girl wrapped that thing around Derek's neck, only she tied it a little too tightly but the look on her face, that victorious look, made it clear that Lydia did it on purpose.

"This color really brings out your eyes."

* * *

Mary didn't really like to dance nowadays; it's not that she wasn't a good dancer, because she was - she even learned how to dance ballet – but truth is, she lost interest in almost everything back when she was diagnosed with the aneurism and depression. Now seriously, that stupid remix of "waiting for the end" by Linkin Park was so lame and _not-danceable_ (_is that even a word?_, she thought) but, against all odds – or all _her_ odds – girls and boys were dancing around, smiling, kissing, making silly faces or even taking selfies with their new iphone. Was that the new trend? Taking selfies with an iphone? Well, Mary would never fit in again and after seeing _that…_ she was not so sure she wanted to.

"… and so I told him I already had been asked for the dance, but it was a lie! Truth is, he stinks and you know my nose is _very_ sensitive, and so I-… Mary, are you even listening to me?" Turning her head to her friend Rebecca, the brunette forced a smile as she nodded. "

Yep, Stinky Peter, got it." Her fake enthusiasm didn't seem to be enough for Rebecca to keep talking about her life so full of teenage drama. The blonde girl wearing a black dress frowned.

"Why did you come anyway? You hate this kind of stuff." Well, Rebecca really knew how to be a bitch if she wanted to. Mary smirked. "Mostly because my parents thought this was a one-time thing and that I should enjoy it, when in fact all they wanted to say was '_honey, you could die tomorrow so we think you should put on a nice dress and dance until your feet hurt!_'"

The brunette watched as Rebecca's frown turned into a sad expression. Good thing they were friend since kindergarten, otherwise Mary wouldn't be sharing any of that stuff with her or talking to her in such manners. "I-I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking." The blonde lowered her eyes to the ground, probably staring at her black high heels and wondering how to make up for what she just said.

"You want something to drink?" "Sure."

Well, that's surely wasn't smooth but whatever. After Rebecca went to order their drinks, Mary found an empty chair at an empty table and sat down; then, took off her high heels but as she looked at her small feet – now turning red from all the torture – Mary found herself wishing she was at her house, in the swimming pool. That's when it hit her; nobody, not even Rebecca, would miss her at that party, right? And if she was stuck there until her mother called to pick her up, Mary could always take advantage of the school's pool.

Picking up her shoes from the ground, the brunette ran away from the gym, the place where the party was taking place, finally starting to feel something other than pain.

* * *

"What is it going to be mate?" A nerdy young man asked Derek with a huge smile on his face. The large man was unusually uncomfortable in his suit but that word, 'mate', sure was enough for Derek to stare at the kid with a threatening expression on his face, mouth closed in a thin line and frowning. "Two sodas." And, without even giving him time to pay for the drinks, the blonde girl right next to Derek – whose presence he had noticed but chose to ignore - laughed, as if she was flirting with him. "I will take one of yours, if you don't mind."

Her voice was so feminine it made him want to turn around, find Lydia and leave that stupid place; however, now looking at the girl, she was not that ugly. In fact, she was an average girl with big brown eyes and long blonde hair with flawless fake curls. Her lips were painted red and curved in a smile, an inviting smile. "Sorry, it's for my date." He replied, leaving a few coins on the table and proceeding to grab the drinks.

"Oh yes, I saw you with Lydia Martin, but I'm sure she won't mind." The blonde girl grabbed one of the cups and slowly led it to her lips, drinking its contest without breaking eye contact with the green eyed man. She was totally flirting with him but Derek just wasn't into her.

"You're not a student here, right? Maybe I could show you the school and we could find ourselves some quiet plac-"

"My date is waiting and thanks to you, I must get her another drink." He interrupted with a smirk on his face. The blonde girl was completely shocked with his lack of respect towards her and, as soon as Derek turned around, Lydia's previous drink was thrown at his back, followed by a "Oh, I'm so sorry! I'm so clumsy!"

Derek was so done with that stupid dance that he didn't even bother to grab another drink or to even give a last threatening look to the blonde. Instead, he tried to find Lydia and when he did, the werewolf handed her his own drink and took off his black blazer. "What took you so lon-… wait, why is your _new_ blazer, the one that _specifically bought for you_, all soaked up?"

"Girls and their need for affection." He grumbled. "I'm gonna find some place where I can dry this thing." Luckily, Lydia had Scott and Kira to keep her company and so, she didn't stop him.

The locker room seemed to be the most suitable place to get that stupid blazer all dried; however, along the way, something stopped the wolf and caught his attention. All alone on the corridor and despite the music playing at the gym, he could hear a voice; a girl, _singing very, very slowly_.

_"… __why did I go before you, pick you up when you fall?  
Was I too drunk to say what I said to you?  
Was I too blind to go and see straight through you?_

The words would echo through the hallways and Derek would follow them. They were coming from the bottom of that corridor, _the pool_.

_"Ghost, you're a ghost, you're a ghost,  
__You're a ghost, you're a ghost."_

He opened the door carefully and peeked inside; at first he saw nothing but the two pools but as soon as the girl started to sing again, he tried to find her.

_"__So every now and then it feels so summing  
When you float on and then you move right through me."_

The girl was just a few meters away, walking and dancing at the edge of the pool with grace, occasionally touching the water with her feet and throwing it around, just like little kids do. It was a little too dark to tell what was the color of her dressed but it looked like blue; it was also very short and completely glue to her body; her legs were quite thin but still pleasant to look at, as if she had been an athlete. Her long hair was dark and wavy and, as the girl was dancing and singing, it would float around as she moved.

Now she was using her hands, clapping to mark the rhythm of the song.

_"__Forget him, same face, found your way back to the grave  
and then go find your way back home.  
Forget him, same face, found your way back to the grave.  
You'll never find your way back home,  
You're a ghost."_

Derek entered that space and hid himself in the shadows, still unsure of what he was even doing there. Well, the brunette looked a bit drunk and she could fall and drown, right? That was his excuse. However, it a few moments for the door to close by itself and when it did, both were caught by surprise.

The girl stopped singing and turned around. "Who's there?" No answer. Derek was still hiding in the shadows and there was no possible way for her to see him but, somehow, the girl didn't seem convinced by the lack of response. "Who is there?" She repeated, only this time pronouncing one word at a time in a strong and fearless tone of voice.

Still no answer.

Still the girl knew there was someone there with her, _watching_ her. She could feel it in her bones.

"If this is some kind of joke I suggest you stop it right now! It's not fun-… oh my god..." The brunette slipped; Derek was not sure how that'd happened, maybe she was trying to walk away very carefully but slipped. And she fell into the deepest part of the pool.

Derek didn't think twice; the tall man dropped his blazer on the ground and ran, throwing himself into the pool. As he did so, it didn't take him long to grab the brunette by the waist and bring her back to the surface.

She breathed heavily and coughed really hard as she reached the surface of the water, unaware of what had just happened. "It's ok, I got you."

As soon as the brunette stopped coughing and opened her big blue eyes, she was face to face with the green eyed man. Surprised and scared, Mary punched him on his jaw and swam away from him.

"Who the hell are you?!"

The green eyed man did not respond, instead he just looked at the brunette with one of his eyebrows raised in doubt. "You can swim." He stated. The girl in front of him just stared at him as if he was a really dumb guy. "Of course I can! Who are you? Why were you here? If you're some kind of psycho, I'm warning you, I attended self-defense classes!" The brunette was starting to freak out so Derek thought it would be better to swim backwards to a safe distance.

"I heard you sing and when I saw you I thought you were drunk." The brunette stared at him with the same look she had on her face just a few seconds ago, as if she didn't believe a single words she was hearing. "I-I saw your eyes glowing, how'd you explain _that_?"

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**So, did you like it? Did you not? Please let me know and review, 'cause I have so many ideas for these two!**

**Lots of love x**


	3. Singing Hearts

**Hey guys, I had my first exam today (Portuguese) and since I still have two more exams next week, I decided to use my free time to give you another chapter. ALSO, I'm already on chapter 6 and let me tell you, these two are the most stubborn (adorable) little bbs && Isaac, as you will see on this chap, will become great friends with Mary and his role in this fic is huge! **

**Don't mind the mistakes, it's kinda late here and I probably didn't correct most of them. Sorry about that!**

**Ok, anyways, please enjoy, because I sure am enjoying writing it! :)**

* * *

'_Shit'_, he thought; using his werewolf eye-sight at night when it was too dark was such a natural thing that Derek almost forgot he was actually using it. '_Reckless idiot'_. However, the man didn't confirm her words; he just shrugged his shoulders with indifference. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I know what I saw." She insisted fiercely, incapable of breaking eye contact. Derek just rolled his eyes as he turned away and swam back to the edge of the pool. As he got up with his clothes all wet and clinging to his skin, the wolf felt really uncomfortable and upset. '_Whatever'_, he thought, _'I'm going home'_ but just as he started walking away and almost reached the doors, he heard a really loud "Hey!" echoing through those four walls.

"You didn't tell me who you are." Glancing at the girl through the corner of his eye, Derek saw her lifting herself from the pool and standing up as fast as she could. Before she would start walking towards him, the wolf had no choice but to answer. "Derek."

Opening the door, the wolf walked away from that place, determined to find Lydia and apologize to her, but he was leaving.

"Wait!" He then heard footsteps following him, surely the brunette running through the corridor, but the werewolf just kept walking at his own pace. It didn't take much time for her to reach Derek and jump in front of him, blocking his way.

The brunette was, too, all soaked up, with her dark hair all glued to her shoulders and face; Derek was now realizing she was somewhat beautiful… not beautiful like a model on the cover of a magazine, she was just nice to look at. Her big blue eyes were electric, hypnothizing, and her lips were full and still painted in a soft shade of pink. However, now with almost no makeup, he could see two dark circles under her eyes; she looked tired.

"Are you a new teacher?" She asked carefully; the green eyed man raised an eyebrow, which caused the girl to take a step back. "Do I look old to you?" The brunette seemed to be frightened, only just a bit.

"Well, ahm… no, but I've had some really handsome teachers, that's why I asked." She answered reluctantly; the wolf watched as her facial expressions turned from calm to 'shit, what did I just say' and God knows how he contained his laugh. "I'm not one of your handsome teachers."

Then, Derek bypassed the blue eyed girl and started walking away but still she would call for his attention from behind him, enhancing her tone of voice. "Well, if you were my teacher-" she started; Derek stopped walking. "I-I can assure you I would've been the greatest student."

_'__Did I really just say that?_' she thought; oh, the urge to punch herself in the face was almost uncontainable. Why would she even say that? She's not a flirty girl, at least not anymore; I mean, did that even sound like flirting? Maybe not, maybe yes, but she was betting on 'not'.

Great, now Derek knew she thought he was attractive, like _really_ attractive; even worse, that she'd give him the best night of his life if s(he) wanted to. Great. _Just great_.

"I'm Mary, by the way. Mary Bennett." No answer. "And I won't forget those glowing eyes, I know what I saw!" "Have a good night, Mary." And, after that, Derek disappeared through the door that would lead to the party.

* * *

"Any chance I'll survive Christmas? I wouldn't mind the gifts, you know Doc, and could you tell that to my dearest friend aneurysm? He ignores me every time I try to chat with him." Mary joked.

She was sitting on a swivel chair and the Doctor was right in front of her, behind his desk, reading whatever it was about her medical condition. He seemed quite calm, which the brunette assumed was good. After a while, the Doctor finally put down the papers and leaned his back against the chair with a soft smile on his lips.

"Well, the aneurysm is still the size of a bean, same as last week. Keep doing whatever you're doing and you'll live forever." Mary loved her Doctor; he was old, maybe late 60's, but he had gentle eyes and a great sense of humor. It had been almost half a year since Mary was diagnosed with an aneurysm but that amazing Doctor had never left her side.

"Am I free to go?" She asked with shining eyes, starting to get up. However, the Doctor raised his hand in the air, as if telling her to wait.

"I'm almost sure you'll make it through this year but it's not in my hands, you know? Aneurysms are unpredictable and most of them, inoperable, like yours." He paused, taking off his glasses and leaving them on his desk.

"Kid, I pray for a miracle every time I go to the church; _He_ better be working on something great for you 'cause I lost track of how many times I asked Him to give you another chance."

Mary's heart felt a little warmer when she heard those kind words; she didn't believe in God, Heaven or Hell, but to know that someone would actually include her in their prayers and ask the highest power they believed in, to save her… it was so honest, genuine and sincere.

"A Doctor who believes in God?" She teased with a smile on her pink lips. The Doctor smiled back, only his lips curved in a sad smile. "When science fails, you have to hold on to something else."

* * *

"Why exactly do you do this?" Derek asked in a low tone one voice as he followed his friend Isaac through the halls of the Hospital. The blond in front of him stopped abruptly and turned around, looking at Derek as if he were looking at a child. "Because it's right and it actually helps dealing with everything that happened." '_Everything'_ meaning the death of their friends, specially the death of his sort of girlfriend, Allison.

Derek just nodded; however, before they started walking again, the former Alpha heard something. A familiar voice.

"_Any chance I'll survive Christmas? I wouldn't mind the gifts, you know Doc, and could you tell that to my dearest friend aneurysm? He ignores me every time I try to chat with him."_ Was that the Mary girl he met just a few nights ago at the school?

"Derek?" Isaac called but the green eyed man replied with a single "Shhh."

_"__Well, the aneurism is still the size of a bean, same as last week (…)"_ That was a different and older voice. An aneurysm?

Derek couldn't help but listen to the whole conversation while he stood still in the middle of the hallway in front of Isaac, who was now listening too; the blond seemed to know what was going on but he had no clue of why Derek was so interested in that specific conversation.

When Mary finally said goodbye to whoever she was talking with, Derek immediately looked around, _searching_ for her; In fact, his eyes were _desperately_ looking for her and something inside of the werewolf was making him sick. Was it guilt, for the other night, when he left Mary behind, as if she were nothing special? Possibly, yes. Or maybe pity, because she seemed to be a nice young girl, yet faith was cruel to her and gave her a death sentence.

Finally he saw her, just a few meters away from him.

Mary was wearing blue tight jean and a white shirt with random words all over it. Her long and curly brown hair was loose, floating around as she moved, just like the other night. The smile she was wearing on her pink lips was discrete yet maybe a little bit forced. There were - once again - dark circles under her eyes.

But still she looked beautiful.

Inevitably, their paths crossed and as soon as the brunette lifted her eyes to Derek, she backed away a few steps, surprised. None of them knew what to say but, by now, Derek could tell she wasn't only surprised; she was scared.

"I-I remember you." She said, her voice shaking like autumn leaves. Why was she so scared?

"I'm sure you do." He replied gently, now ignoring Isaac's presence, who was just standing there, watching the two of them with curiosity. "What are you doing here?" Derek asked innocently; he was a great liar, he knew exactly what she was doing at the Hospital. Thankfully, the brunette wasn't aware of Derek's werewolf powers.

She raised an eyebrow. "Everyone in this Hospital knows me, even him." She said, pointing to Isaac, who now seemed to be a little uncomfortable.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Mary asked suspiciously.

"Same as Isaac." Her eyes softened; she didn't look so scared now; in fact, Mary was relieved. "Oh, you mean cheering up the kids?" Both the boys looked at each other before their eyes focused on the brunette again, though it was Isaac who spoke up. "Actually, it's his first day and the kids are probably missing me. You want to join us?"

* * *

"Doctor Isaac is here!" The blond announced as he entered a pink room full of little kids, some of them with wires connecting them to machines, others with tubes stuck to their noses, helping them breathing. Others were bald and probably had cancer. It was such a beautiful yet sad picture to look at.

As soon as the little kids saw Isaac with a red nose and big glasses on his face, smiling at them, they all seemed to know him very well.

The blond sat down on the ground, right beside a little boy with tubes inside his nose; the kid immediately crawled to Isaac's lap, who was fast to grab him and give him a long and caring hug.

"Everyone, today we have a special guest! His name is Mr. Grumpy and he's right over there!" Isaac pointed to Derek and the kids followed his finger with their eyes. If it weren't for the kids, Derek would have called him asshole, dickhead or whatsoever; _keep it cool_, he thought, it was better to ignore it.

"Now, Mr. Grumpy hasn't smiled in a long time. How about he sits down with us?" The green eyed man – or now Mr. Grumpy – could hear Mary laughing lightly beside him but it didn't bother him as much as he thought it would.

Derek walked slowly into the room and sat down next to Isaac, not entirely sure of what to do next. Thankfully, the blond made it easier for him. "Would you guys like to sing a song to Mr. Grumpy?" The little kids yelled "Yes!" all at once. "How about '_somewhere over the rainbow_'? You all know that one, right?" Once again, the little kids yelled happily at the same time.

Then, they sang. Of course their voices were not the prettiest but they were honestly trying to make Mr. Grumpy feel welcome and loved, which was something Derek was not used to.

During the song, the green eyed man almost didn't notice, but Mary had entered the room too and was holding a little bald girl in her arms, kissing her constantly all over her small head.

The brunette looked down on him with her big blue eyes shining with joy, as if everything was right in the world, just as it should be - when in fact he knew she was struggling like all those kids; the difference was that she was aware of her own struggle.

Surprisingly, Mary walked to Derek and sat down next to him. As she touched the little girl's nose, Mary lifted her eyes to Derek's and said "Mr. Grumpy, this is Olivia, the smartest little girl in this Hospital." Since Derek was just too confused and surprised to react, Mary whispered into Olivia's ear.

"I think he wants to meet you." The little girl nodded as a big smile took advantage of her lips; then, Mary leaned in closer to Derek so she could pass Olivia to his arms. He was clumsy and insecure but slowly he managed to adjust little Olivia in his arms. "Hey little princess." He whispered nervously.

The little girl immediately wrapped one of her arms around his neck as she then touched his beard; at first she frowned, probably because of its texture, but then her little hands were all over the man's face.

For the first time in a very long time, Derek laughed with joy. It was a strange sound coming out of his throat but it felt familiar; i_t felt good. _

* * *

That same afternoon, just as Derek was leaving the Hospital and almost reaching his car, he heard footsteps; considering the smell of roses floating through the air, he could immediately tell it was Mary. Mary Bennett.

"You, wait!" Well, that brought back some memories.

Turning around, he saw the brunette running towards him; as she stopped, Mary seemed to be having some trouble breathing, placing both her hands on her knees just for a few seconds. Then, the brunette smiled and laughed softly, trying to hide her lack of fitness exercise. "Ahm, I was just wondering…"

Oh man, that was embarrassing, wasn't it? Mary could actually feel her lungs trying their best to keep her breathing, not to mention the fact that her cheeks were turning red. '_Ah, what the hell.'_

"I was wondering, you should go out with me, I MEAN!... would you like to go out with me, maybe?" She finally asked. The green eyed man seemed to be trying to hold back a soft smile; he was probably making fun of her in his head, Mary was sure. "Ok, it didn't come out right, let me try agai-" "Ok."

The brunette looked at Derek with her blue eyes widening with surprise. "Ok? Just like that?" She repeated with an eyebrow raised. Derek nodded. "When and where?"

* * *

**HERE IT ISSSS! Personally, the next chapter is one of my favorites so far, obviously because they will go out on a date and a lot of stuff will happen. :) But for now, please review and tell me your opinion! **

**Lots of love :)**


	4. Heartbeat (part 1)

**Hey everyone! I've been away for too lung due to my exams, but I'm back! :) Here's one of my favourite characters, I really loved writing this one, which is divided in two parts. ENJOY. :) **

**ps: I didn't have time to re-read it, I'm sorry for the mistakes you may find (it's kinda late in Portugal and I'm lazy...)**

**(****_Song suggestion: meg myers - make a shadow)_**

* * *

"You did what, Mary Bennett?!" Juliet Bennett was sitting on her daughter's bed, watching the small teenager picking out her outfit from the closet. Mary grabbed two dresses and looked at her mom in despair. "Don't judge me, ok?! Let's face it, I probably don't have much time left, I might as well make the best of it! And he's kind of cute…" The way the brunette pronounced those last words, grinning from ear to ear, was enough for her mom to raise both her eyebrows; that girl was going to get herself in trouble, mothers sense that kind of stuff.

"Honey, how old is that Derek guy?" "Did you not hear me saying he's cute?" "Mary Bennett." There it was, that threatening tone of voice so typical of an over protective mother. Mary rolled her eyes as she walked to the bed, her little arms now full of dresses, and sit in front of her mother.

"Mom, it's just a… date, I guess. Besides, he's friends with a lot of kids from school, there's no need for you to worry." Still, the look on her mother's face was unsure, maybe even a little bit frightened.

"I just don't want you to get hurt." A mother's number one preoccupation. The brunette couldn't help but smile at the blonde woman in front of her who loved her so dearly. "I won't." She promised. "Now, which dress should I wear?"

* * *

If anyone asked Derek the reason why he accepted to go out on a date with a girl he barely knew (and who was dying with an aneurysm), he probably wouldn't find the proper words to answer. Maybe because she was just nice; maybe because he felt sorry for her medical condition. Or maybe both.

Leaning against the back of his car, the werewolf checked his cell phone. It was almost ten past eight, which meant Mary was late. Derek wasn't a very patient man and in that moment he really regretted not asking her for her number that afternoon.

Where the hell was she?

* * *

"Mom, he's still there. See? He waited for me." Mary looked at her mom with shining eyes but the blonde woman driving the car just rolled hers. The black car stopped in front of the diner and Juliet Bennett stared at the tall man with her own killer eyes (once again, typical of an over protective mother) however, Mary did not contain her smile.

"Say it, mom, c'mon."

Juliet turned her head to the brunette, opening her mouth only to tell her that Derek guy seemed to be a lot older than Mary but something stopped her… possibly the adorable smile Mary was wearing, so full of joy and innocence. What kind of mother would she be if she took that away from her?

Letting out a small gasp, the blonde admitted "Ok, he's cute."

* * *

The moment Derek watched Mary getting out of the car, it was like seeing her for the very first time. She was wearing a red – and very tight – dress that would show off her legs; she was also wearing a black blazer and black high heels and her hair was tied in a ponytail. She looked _incredible._

"Sorry I'm late, I couldn't quite figure out what to wear." She said, finally approaching him. Derek just nodded with his head; he didn't care about her excuses, he was too busy trying to figure out how to keep his eyes away from her legs. However, Mary didn't seem to notice his gaze, considering his lack of response to be a sign he didn't want to be there, _with her._

Lowering her eyes, the brunette crossed her arms above her chest, as if trying to comfort herself. "Well, shit…" She whispered. Caught by surprise and afraid she had caught him looking at her (or actually devouring her with his eyes) the werewolf was fast to ask "What's wrong?" but the brunette in front of him refused to answer for a few moments. In fact, she would open and close her mouth repeatedly as if she were trying to find the right words.

"If you didn't want to go out with me… you should've… well, I'm all dressed up and…" Finally lifting her eyes to meet his, Mary found it really hard to speak up. "Why did you accept, exactly?"

Now it was Derek who didn't know what to say. What was she talking about?

"What?" She looked confused. "You're weird, Derek."

That date was a terrible mistake, Mary was so sure of it for a few moments… but it all disappeared when Derek answered with an innocent tone. "And your dress is distracting. Now seriously, what did you say?" Mary's expression went from clueless to relief.

"I said I'm hungry."

* * *

The diner was almost full for a normal Friday night; actually, most of the people there were from Mary's school, which meant she had to ignore all the pity eyes looking at her. To be honest, she was used to them, she was used to be the time bomb from that stupid town, but now that she was in the company of a handsome guy, it was, somehow, more bearable.

Just as the two of them sat down at a table near the window, one of the guys that worked at the diner basically showed up out of nowhere, startling Mary. "What do you guys want to order?"

Ok, that kid was obviously aware that there were two people sitting at the table but his eyes would only look at the brunette as if she were a piece of meat. Derek didn't like him.

"I want a cheeseburger, french fries and a cola." Mary asked politely; however, raising an eyebrow, she corrected herself. "Actually, I want a double cheeseburger, please." Jesus Christ, she was so polite, nice and innocent; Derek almost didn't believe the girl in front of him was dying.

"Same for me." He didn't order, he demanded.

As soon as the kid turned away and Derek was once more face to face with Mary, he chose to ignore what just happened to ask the question that had been running through his head the whole afternoon. "Why did you ask me out?"

Mary's heart skipped a beat; she was a terrible liar, really, it was better to come clean, right? But, on the other hand, she really didn't want Derek, who had just met her, to look at her with pity – just like everyone else. However, looking at him in that moment, she felt like she could trust him.

Lowering her eyes to her lap, Mary smiled. "Because I'm dying." She admitted, surprised with how easily those words came out of her mouth. Now lifting her eyes to capture Derek's reaction, the brunette didn't know whether to be happy or concerned; his face was a complete mask, he wouldn't let her know whatever he was thinking or feeling.

"Ok, your lack of response is freaking me out, so I'll just continue. The thing is, I have an aneurysm and it can explode now, or in a few days, or even in months. Since you're probably the cutest guy in this town… I thought I'd give it a shot."

He still wouldn't react.

Leaning forward and placing both her arms on the table, Mary looked at the man straight in the eye as she demanded "Take it off." Faced with those unexpected words, the green eyed man raised an eyebrow; he was finally reacting. "Take off what?" "Your mask. Don't you ever smile? It's like talking to my therapist." Even though it wasn't exactly a joke, Derek's lips curved in a small and almost invisible smile. "That's better. Now, let's talk about the glowing eyes I saw the other night."

_'__Ah, that question again',_ he thought as he rolled his eyes. It was better to avoid that subject. "Tell me more about your aneurysm, Mary." It was such a funny thing to watch Mary's expressions change so quickly; first she widened her blue eyes and then she just laughed. "Believe me dude, my friend aneurysm is quite boring; in fact, he wants to know about your glowing eyes as well."

The winning smile on her face was priceless, so full of possibilities and dreams yet to explore; it was hard to turn down that curious little human. However, Derek decided it was time to really shut down that subject. What better way to do it than to seduce the little brunette and distract her from her thoughts?

He just hoped she was like every other woman on earth, one easily distracted with compliments.

"Let down your hair." The werewolf asked as he leaned his body forward, placing both arms on the table as well. '_You want to play that game?_' Mary thought; it's not that she didn't like to be seduced, but she still had some questions to be asked… oh man, but those beautiful green eyes were totally giving her the goose bumps.

If they were going to play that flirting game, Mary wasn't the one to be seduced; she would be the player.

"And why would I do that?" She leaned closer as she grabbed a few strains of her own air and curled them around her finger.

"Because if you don't, _I might_." "I'd love to see you try, sweetheart." Those inviting eyes, that small and provocative smile… Mary was actually _challenging_ him. Apparently Mary was not as innocent and naive as she looked.

She wasn't like the other girls. She was better.

* * *

**Ta-daaaaa, here it is. :) I hope you liked it, I just love them too much, the ideas come to me at all times! Uff, ok, please review and let me know what you think. :)**

**LOTS OF LOVE! x**


	5. Heartbeat (part 2)

**Hello my beautiful readers! :) First of all, I would like to welcome the new followers of this fic, I hope you're enjoying it (even thought you're silent, eheh). NOW, here's PART. 2 of chapter 3. Hope you'll enjoy it. :)**

_**(song suggestion: alt-j - dancing in the moonlight)**_

* * *

Just in time and surprising both of them, their orders had just arrived. _'What a shame'_, the brunette thought as she leaned against her chair and tied her hair just a little bit tighter; as she did so, her big blue eyes were focused on Derek, who soon realized her real intentions – teasing him - and laughed with pure joy.

That laugh was genuine and probably enough to distract Mary from all that flirting because as soon as she let down her arms, her expression softened; she could actually feel her heart melting. "I love your laugh."

For a moment, it was like there was no one else in the room; all Derek could see was that small human in front of him who was gazing at him with gentle eyes. If he hadn't overheard her talk with the Doctor, and if she hadn't told him about her sickness, Derek would have never guessed she was dying - and with that thought, he was brought back to the reality.

As both of them started eating their cheeseburgers, the werewolf had a hard time disconnecting from his own thoughts and focusing on the dinner. Mary actually told him that she was sick and that she was a time bomb; she could collapse in front of him in that moment only because her sickness was silent and would attack the same way it appeared, _unexpectedly. _

Maybe the brunette told him all that stuff for some reason, maybe because she felt like she could trust a man she barely knew. Trusting someone comes with great responsibility and Derek just knew there was no way out now. Mary was doomed, her days were counted and, for some reason, she chose him to enter her life now, near the end.

Of course she was a sweet girl and of course Derek thought she was beautiful, but that was it. She was dying and that's why he'd accepted to go out on that date in the first place, _for pity_. Yes, that should be it… now, how do you turn down a girl who is dying?

Damn it, he was screwed. So, so screwed.

However, something pushed him away from his thoughts. Mary was holding her napkin with an eyebrow raised; a few seconds after, she cleaned her mouth with it and put it down again.

"Something wrong?" The werewolf asked but the brunette didn't even bother to look at him as she shrugged and grabbed one of her French fries. "Just a phone number."

For a few moments the werewolf was confused but when he looked over to the other side of the room and saw the guy who took their orders (who was now looking at Mary with an angry expression) he finally figured it out.

"Uhm, the kid that took our orders gave you his number. He actually wrote it on a napkin." "Yup." The brunette answered once more with indifference. "And you cleaned your mouth with it." Now with her blue eyes gazing at him, she laughed softly. "No shit, Sherlock." She paused, giving a small bite to her cheeseburger. Then, she put it back down; she seemed to have lost her hunger.

"I used to get those all the time." Mary was referring to the napkin with the phone number and, for some unknown reason, Derek wanted to explore that subject. "Apparently you still do." "Not as much." "Why not?" Now Mary was looking at him as if he were a complete idiot. "Because of what I already told you. I have a death sentence and no one wants to commit to a dying girl."

"What were you like? I mean, before the aneurysm." Derek was amazed with her capacity of changing expressions so quickly; now she looked like an eight year old daydreaming with her future, only this time Mary was looking at her past, maybe picking out some good memories she felt comfortable sharing with the green eyed man.

Lowering her eyes to her lap, the brunette smiled. "I used to be the best swimmer of the school, people would even call me the 'golden mermaid', can you believe it?" She laughed, but still wouldn't look at Derek. Mary made it clear that those memories were so stupid and almost too hard to believe, from a past not so far away. The werewolf felt sorry for her.

"I also practiced ballet and I was very good at it, even though I like to mix it up with more styles; and… well, I guess I was popular because there were always people around me trying to get my attention." Now the innocent look on her face turned into a sad expression. Derek realized she was now talking to herself.

"One night I was getting ready to go to bed when I felt this huge headache and then I passed out; my parents took me to the hospital for some exams and that's when they found the aneurysm. Six months ago, exactly."

She was so uncomfortable, Derek could feel it in his bones, and it was his fault for bringing that up and wanting to know more about her. Something was seriously wrong with him lately.

He made a mistake and he would fix it. "I think we should get out of here."

* * *

"Why did you really bring me here?" They were at a small park filled with bushes shaped as animals; Mary remembered that place from her childhood only because her father would take her there every Sunday and would always buy her ice cream. Sometimes they would even play a game in which Mary had to guess what animal was represented in every bush; oh man, she really loved that childish game.

"It's quiet." "The real reason, please." She demanded.

Derek let out a small sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Because I just kept asking you questions until I realized that I made you sad." The brunette stopped walking and looked up at the man next to her with doubt, maybe not so sure she'd heard him correctly. "

Yo-you didn't make me sad, Derek." A soft and unsure smile was blossoming on her lips. "But it's good to know you're not as tough as you look." And with that, Mary was now laughing.

Seriously that girl was a hurricane of emotions and facial expressions.

As the two of them kept walking through one of the few trails of the park, they were led to a Gazebo; how could Mary ever forget about that magnificent piece of art? She was so focused on her sickness and her own reasons to be angry at the world that she forgot about almost every single thing that once made her happy. That Gazebo was one of those things.

Derek noticed the little glow in her eyes; he noticed her absence even though she was right there beside him. He coughed, as if calling for her attention. Mary didn't say a word but her smile widened from all the memories she was unburying from her conscience.

"I got married here when I was a kid." She whispered slowly. What followed her words happened too fast for Derek to stop it. Mary jumped from her high heels to the ground and ran over the frost-laden grass in her bare feet; she ran towards the gazebo and as soon as she entered it, it was like there was no one else there, not a single soul, just her and her thoughts.

That surely wasn't Derek's plan, to make her all emotional over such irrelevant things. However, he sighed. At least she looked happy.

"And how long did it last?" He basically shouted those words; Mary was caught by surprise and, for a few seconds, Derek felt like she had no freaking clue of what he was asking her. Finally, her expressions softened as she figured out what was the main topic of that conversation. "Not much. He got married to a friend of mine, Jenna. Oh and also Chelsea, and Sarah, and Trina, and Kelly… I think his name was Paul." Mary laughed. "Paul. It screams douchebag, don't you think?" She asked.

"Sounds like a jerk to me." Derek agreed in a playful tone. Surprised with such words coming out of his mouth and actually _the way_ they were pronounced, the brunette laughed once more. "I know, right?!"

Suddenly, Mary's phone started to ring from inside her blazer. Reaching to her pocket and grabbing her phone, the brunette frowned. "It's my mom." Then, she answered the call.

"Hey mom, what is it?" "Honey, hey. Could you ask your friend to bring you home?" Now that was weird. Juliet was not the kind of mom who would let her daughter get in a car with a stranger. "Why, what's wrong?" Juliet sighed. "Well, I was feeling a little dizzy so your father took me to the Hospital, but don't worry!, really! It must be from all the stress."

Juliet's voice sounded weird, as if she was lying, but that was even weirder, because Mary's mom was not one to lie. "Are you really ok?" Mary asked. Juliet laughed softly. "Yes honey, don't worry. Now, ask your friend if he doesn't mind driving you home, otherwise I'll ask your dad." "Hey Mary honey, I love you." Her dad interrupted in a joyful tone. He would always tell her those words, 'I love you', every day. It was their thing.

"Tell dad I love him too." When Juliet did so, Mary could hear her dad laughing and whispering 'it's our thing, love' to his wife. "Guys, just give me a second, I'll ask him." Covering the phone with her hand, the brunette turned to Derek, who was looking at her with concern. "Ahm, would you mind driving me home? My parents are at the Hospital…" The dark-haired man nodded. "Sure. Is everything ok?" "I'm not sure."

Then, the brunette told her parents not to worry, that she would be fine, and they hung up – but of course, her dad practically screamed 'I love you sweetheart!' before Juliet finished the call.

* * *

Derek's car was now parked in front of Mary's house, which was quite big; there was a small garden around it, colored with all kinds of flowers, from roses to lilies. Now that the werewolf was thinking about it, that house was too big for only three people and it would be even emptier when Mary died. Just thinking about it and looking at the brunette from the corner of his eye was, somehow, really painful.

When she finally let out a small (and strangely adorable) sigh, Derek turned his head to face the brunette but, for some reason, she was trying not to look at him. "Thanks for… you know. Tonight. It was fun." Her words sounded strange, as if she were saying goodbye. Not a 'see you later' kind of goodbye, but a 'forever' kind of goodbye.

Truth is, Mary was not a datable person; actually, she was totally out of date, just like the products that are no longer trustable to purchase. That's why she tried to enjoy every bit of that night; she sure wouldn't get many more of those.

"It was." He agreed. Suddenly, after a few seconds of silence, Mary heard something that caught her attention. Her bright blue eyes turned to one of the columns of that car and she raised an eyebrow. "I like this song." She said, pointing to the column with a grin. When her eyes turn to Derek, he seemed confused but pleased at the same time. "You've never heard it before?" He asked; Mary bit her bottom lip and shrugged. "I guess not."

Now Derek was smiling – even though it wasn't a big and breathtaking smile, but still, it was a genuine smile. "Why'd you only call me when you're high." He said. At first, the brunette didn't understand why on earth he had said that, but then her lips parted and she laughed nervously.

"That's so fucked up. Why would they call _that_ to a song?" "They're the Arctic Monkeys, you can't really apply logic to them, but the lyrics are amazing." Listening to the song for just a little while, Mary finally nodded. "They are."

Both stood there in silence, listening to the song calmly until it ended.

It was time for Mary to go.

"Well, thanks. Really." Thank god it was dark, because the brunette could feel her cheeks turning red and that's something you don't want a guy to notice, especially if you think he's cute.

Just as Mary was preparing herself to open the door, she heard Derek calling out her name quite nervously. "We should do this again." And something in his eyes told her that he was being honest.

Mary just smiled shyly and got out of the car, thinking that maybe she should have given him her phone number.

* * *

**Next chapter is already written and ready to post but I'm just going to wait a little while to actually post it. And the other one is ready as well, eheh, but it's kinda sad, and took me forever to finish from all the crying. Oh well... please review! :)**

**LOTS OF LOVE! x **


	6. Breaking

**Hey everyone, I'm sorry it took me so long to post this chapter but i've been away for a few weeks. Also, I'll start addind a month and a day to every chapter. HOPE YOU ENJOY IT :)))**

* * *

**( _30TH OF SEPTEMBER_ )**

Mary was late for school; like, _really_ late. Her parents were already out, like always (since both of them worked out of town and _also _both of them were lawyers), meaning she would always wake up by herself, or maybe Ozzy would wake her up. By the way, Ozzy was her dog, a beautiful Golden Retriever that would always wander around the house.

Since Mary didn't have a car – or a driver's license to begin with, only because she thought it was a waste of money for someone that wouldn't probably last more than one year – the fastest way to get to the school was by bicycle . She preferred to walk but since she was in a rush, _you got to work with what you got, _she thought.

As soon as the brunette entered the school, the hallways were completely empty - or so she thought. Just around the corner, Mary bumped into someone and immediately fell to the ground, good thing her backpack protected her from hitting her head to the ground.

"I'm so sorry…" It was Isaac, from the Hospital. "Are you ok?" He questioned, offering his hand to help her getting up. The brunette looked around her, more specifically to her feet and legs, which were covered in books; big and heavy books, to be more precise.

The brunette accepted his hand and got up, still slightly confused with what had just happened. "Were you stealing from the library or something like that?" She asked, ignoring his previous question. Isaac just smiled. "Something like that." He then proceeded to pick up all the books from the ground; Mary helped him but as she felt the weight of one of the books, the urge to put it back down was almost uncontainable.

"You skipped our History class." He said as he picked up the last book. "Good thing I did." She replied with a smile on her face. "_World War I – Volume 2 of 6._" She read the cover of the book cradled in her arms. "That's just boring. Don't get me wrong, I love History but the Second World War was _way_ more interesting." She revealed, handing him the book. Isaac's bright blue eyes widened with shock. "You… you like History?"

"I _love_ history." She corrected him with a grin. "And don't even get me started on the Cold War; _so, so good_." "Good?" Now he had an amused look on his face. "I meant _interesting_." She corrected once more. "It's just… you're always quiet." Mary tilted her head, slightly confused. "And what's wrong with that?" For a moment, Isaac's mouth would open and close as if he had no clue of what to respond to that.

"Nothing… nothing." He finally smiled. "So… I have to go… you coming?" Mary frowned. Oh no, she was already late, why bother even showing up to History class? Her grades were fine; skipping just one class wouldn't make any difference. "Nah, I'm already late, might as well wait for the next class." Isaac nodded with a smile and turned around, making his way to the classroom. However, he stopped and looked back to Mary.

"Ahm, Mary…?" He called. The brunette was now sitting on the floor, her back against the lockers; when she heard his voice, she immediately turned her blue eyes to his. "Yes?" Isaac was stuttering and looking down to the books on his arms. "How's your… the treatments and all that stuff…" He stuttered; well, that was awkward, wasn't it?

Mary laughed softly. It wasn't a surprise that Isaac was asking her _that_ question. Every single person that worked at the Hospital (or volunteered, like him) knew about her medical condition. "It's still small." She answered gently. "I probably still have until January to live, I hope." Isaac was slightly stunned by her tone; she actually seemed happy, conformed with the idea of having a grenade inside her head. He admired her for that, for all her strength, but on the other hand, he felt shivers all over his body. If Mary had only until January to live and they were in September… she had 4 months left – if lucky.

"Oh, good. That's good. Yeah…" He stuttered. "See you later at the Hospital?" _Why on earth would you ask that_?, he thought. Oh the awkwardness.

"Actually, yes." She grinned. "I have an appointment with my therapist today." Mary was too nice to everyone, he thought once more. She talked like the appointment was no big deal, like going shopping or having a family dinner, when in fact she was going to be locked in a room talking to some weird doctor and telling him (or her) about her feelings. She was brave for making it all seem ok when clearly it wasn't.

When Isaac finally said 'see you later, Mary', the brunette watched him walk away until he entered the classroom.

Her smile disappeared as she let out a long sigh and leaned her head against one of the lockers. "I hate my life." She murmured. One thing was to lie to herself and pretend everything was ok, other thing was to tell others the world was a beautiful place. It wasn't. Fate was a bitch.

As if her mind were trying to contradict her, Mary saw Derek's face on her thought. She remembered last Friday's events and she found herself smiling to the wall in front of her. Although she didn't give him her number, sometimes she would look at the phone, waiting for a text. It was no use, of course, but she couldn't help it. It wasn't love, of course not, but it was _something_.

* * *

"How are you feeling, Mary?" Her therapist was an old woman with short red hair; she kinda looked like Angela Merkel, to be honest, but her smile was sweet and understanding. The brunette smiled and leaned back against the chair, shrugging her shoulders. "Normal." She said. The therapist raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "There was a party at your school, right? A few weeks ago, maybe? My son, Kyle, thought it was fun, but his stomach did not agree." The woman smiled gently and tilted her head. "Alcohol, to be more precise."

Silence.

_Oh right_, Mary thought. It was her turn to talk. "It was boring." Suddenly, a pair of green eyes popped into her head reminding her that maybe it hadn't been so terribly boring.

"Which means you did not have fun?" Well, she did but Mary was surely not in the mood of talking about Derek. Sure, she liked him, but that was it (oh, but the butterflies inside her tummy were saying just the contrary). "I'm not a party girl anymore."

The therapist sighed softly and then leaned forward, placing both hands on the wooden secretary. "I usually don't ask my patients to do this but… how do you feel about making a list of all the things you want to do in your life?" Mary raised an eyebrow and shrunk in her own chair. "You mean, a list of things I want to do _before I die_." "Sometimes, when people set goals, it gives them motivation to actually accomplish them. You could change your hair, travel to Africa, write a book-" "Can I get married to Brad Pitt? I've always had a crush on him." The brunette interrupted with a grin.

Her therapist did not reply; instead, she just smiled back and threw her hands in the hair, as if she was surrendering. "He's already married but why not? What I'm trying to say is, you should find some new hobbies, new interests… change things."

_Change things._ Well, Mary could at least try.

* * *

Just as Mary left her therapist's room, Isaac was just a few meters away. The blond was dressed as a Dr. Clown, still with his huge glasses and a red nose, only this time he was not surrounded by little kids. Instead, he was holding a small girl in his arms, occasionally touching her small nose and making weird faces so she could laugh.

When his blue eyes caught Mary's, Isaac immediately pointed at the brunette and shouted "Look Olivia, it's Mary!" When the little girl turned her head to the brunette, Mary had no choice but to walk towards the two of them. Little Olivia was smiling and laughing, her small and fragile arms reaching out to Mary until the brunette finally received her in her arms.

"Hey gorgeous." Said the brunette, kissing the little girl on the cheek. She loved little kids; she loved to spoil them with hugs, kisses and compliments to make up for all the treatments they had to go through. Of course her love would never be enough to cure them but Mary was devoted to their cause and would do everything to make them smile or have fun – even if it were just for a little while – especially little Olivia. That girl was just the cutest.

"So, any news?" Isaac asked with a joyful tone. Mary turned to him while still hugging little Olivia in her arms. "I have to make a list with all the things I want to do before I… you know." She answered carefully; she would not say 'before I die' in front of a kid, _never_.

Isaac seemed to understand, glancing down at Hannah and then back at Mary. "That sounds fun. Any ideas for that list?"

The only thing that came to her mind was Brad Pitt and actually getting married to him, which was completely and utterly ridiculous - but hey, everyone has a childhood crush, so don't judge her.

"Nop, nothing. It's going to be harder than I thou-" "Mr. Grumpy!" Little Olivia interrupted, forcing the brunette to turn around and face Derek Hale, who was now smiling widely to Olivia and walking towards them.

Jesus Christ, Mary could swear her heart skipped a bit – or maybe more than just one. She had no clue of what to say or even how to react in his presence, and what was even more shocking was the way he would smile at little Olivia. When the brunette turned her head to Isaac, both her eyebrows rose as if demanding an answer, the blond shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "She's been asking for Derek since last week."

Little Olivia was starting to get a little impatient, now reaching out to Derek. Mary had no choice but to pass her on to his arms. "Hello Liv." He murmured, placing a soft kiss on her forehead and making the small child laugh.

Derek didn't even look at Mary.

Now she wasn't just nervous but also confused – _really _confused. Despite that insignificant two seconds in which the brunette passed Olivia to Derek, he wouldn't dare to look at her. Something was off and she wasn't sure what or why.

"What is that?" Derek asked little Liv, pointing at the band-aid on her arm. "It was a big needle. I hate needles." She answered innocently, her tone lowering. "More blood samples, but she did great, she didn't even cry." Isaac added with a smile. When Derek's eyes gazed down at Liv, Mary almost didn't recognize him. He was _genuinely_ happy, smiling with pride at the child in his arms, his beautiful green eyes shining. "Really? I would have cried!" He said in a dramatic but funny tone. "You're one brave little girl." And then, he kissed her forehead again, causing the beautiful child to wrap her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

It was a beautiful picture to look at but Mary was still too confused and impatient to just stay there, invisible to Derek's eyes, apparently. _What did I do wrong_?, she thought.

Letting out a small sigh, the brunette turned to Isaac and shrugged her shoulders, trying her best to smile. "Time to go home… see you tomorrow at school?" The blond nodded with a smile. "Sure."

However, and despite Derek holding Liv in his arms, Mary was going to say goodbye to her little girl. "Princess?" She called out; the child immediately turned her head to her, still grinning. "Honey, I have to go. I just wanted to say goodbye." Olivia's smile turned into a sad expression, but her hands wouldn't dare to let go of Derek's neck.

The brunette leaned in closer, trying her best not to touch the man holding her precious Olivia; then, Mary placed a kiss on her pink cheeks. "See you soon, gorgeous." She smiled softly. Then, she left, walking slowly away from them.

* * *

It was almost midnight. Mary was lying in her bed, trying so desperately to fall asleep, but something inside of her, a strange feeling, wouldn't let her.

Five minutes. She rolled her body to the left side of the bed, now lying on her stomach. Ten minutes. She rolled her body to the right side of the bed, now facing the ceiling. Still wide awake.

Ozzy, her dog, was perfectly asleep on the ground, right beside her bed, snoring softly. God damn it, she was so jealous of that dog for sleeping like a freaking rock. Suddenly, her phone rang, announcing a new text message. Mary rolled her eyes and sat down on her bed, predicting it was Rebecca having a crisis. Except no, it wasn't Rebecca. Unknown number.

She opened the text message and her heart skipped a beat. _Again_. Just like that afternoon.

_"__Are you awake? - Derek."_

"You've got to be kidding me." She murmured. Despite being slightly mad and confused, Mary couldn't stop her fingers from writing a simple "Yes." and sending it. Ten seconds later, her phone was ringing. Derek was calling her.

She clicked the green button and lied down again on her bed. Silence.

"Mary?" She heard him calling her name. His voice sounded normal, quiet. "Yes?" Silence. "Are you ok?" Even though Mary was well aware that Derek couldn't see her facial expressions right now, she frowned. "I am. How did you get my number?" She murmured; God knows she wanted to be all but sweet or nice, but that just wasn't her. "Isaac gave it to me."

More silence.

"I just wanted to apologize." A hollow laugh slips out of Mary; she tried to contain it but it turned out to be impossible. "Yeah, you didn't even look at me today. I have no clue of what I did to push you away but forget about it, really. Doesn't matter." More silence.

"I was also apologizing for not texting you sooner. Or calling." He paused. Mary could hear him breathing and, after a while, sighing. "I didn't want to lead you on…" He paused again, only this time he didn't fill the silence. It was Mary's turn. Turning around to the other side of the bed, the brunette sighed.

"Look, first of all, I didn't even give you my number, so don't worry about it. Secondly, I think I know what you're trying to tell me. You thought that I, the dying girl, was falling in love with you but, obviously, you had no feelings for me. So… I'm just going to guess, tell me if I'm wrong, but you shut me out because…" A long sigh slipped through her lips. "Because you didn't have the balls to be honest. It was better to hide and maybe the problem – which is _me _– would go away."

Her voice was turning hoarse, weak, and Mary realized she was holding her breath.

"W-what? No, I-… look, I like you a lot but-" "Derek, I'm not in love with you, I'm sorry if your ego is offended but I'm not. I like you too but not in a romantic way." Yep, the brunette was not only lying to him but also to herself. It wasn't love just yet, but there was something about him that kept pulling her closer, making her reach out for more.

"I'm still a human being despite my medical condition, and I would love to be treated like one." Once again, he sighed. "I'm sorry, I am." "Forget about it… we're friends, ok?" "Ok… I'll let you sleep now. Have a good night." "You too." And she hung up.

Mary didn't know whether to be happy about their new condition or to punch herself in the face. After a while, she finally fell asleep, but that stupid man wouldn't stop haunting her, not even in her dreams he would leave her alone (or maybe she was the one who refused to let go).

So that's what it felt like, having another high school crush. It was terrible.

* * *

**I'll try to update as soon as I can, until then don't forget to REVIEWW :)) thanks for your support!**

**Lots of love! x**


	7. Safe

**Hello, hello! Here's another chapter, this one is way too long (sorry about that!). Even though I have my own timeline of the fic, I realized that you don't and it might be confusing for you guys sometimes, so I decided to add the date and month of each chapter. :)**

**This one took me forever to finish because it was way too sad, but the next few chapters are a little happier! They're already written until chapter 9 so hopefully it won't take me long to update!**

**Enough with the rambling. I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

*_present day, October 9th*_

Shallow wishes, maybe. "#1, I want to visit New York; #2, I want to spend a night at a Motel; #3, I want a tattoo; #4, I want to go to the movies on a date; #5, I want to drive a car simply because I don't have a driver's license and I want to be an outlaw; #6, I want to have sex on the back of a car; #7, I want to cut my hair or dye it."

Now these wishes were more honest, wishes made directly from her heart. Writing them down on paper hurt like hell. "#8, I want to be loved one last time; #9, I want to make a difference in someone else's life; #10, I want to get married; #11, I want mom and dad to have another daughter or son (I don't want them to be alone after I'm gone)."

Mary closed the notebook, threw it across the room and began to cry. It wasn't because of that stupid list, no. Her heart was heavily broken, completely shattered actually. Being so close to death that day triggered every single emotion in her body; it hurt so much that Mary begged to God to make it stop. And she did not believe in God.

* * *

_*hours earlier*_

When Mary Bennett woke up, at 7:30 in the morning, the moon was already gone but in its place there was a sad and dark sky with big terrifying clouds wandering around; people looked even more bored than usual and Isaac was strangely impatient. Mary noticed how he'd check his phone every 10 minutes but he never seemed to find peace.

"What's wrong?" She whispered to him during the History class; he shrugged and faked a smile. "N-nothing." Of course Mary did not believe him. Gladly they had classes together that day so she could follow him closely.

Their last class was Chemistry and Mary was fast enough to fill the seat right beside Isaac. He almost didn't notice her. "Isaac?" The blond turned to her with concern in his eyes and this time he didn't even try to fake a smile. "What's going on?" Mary insisted.

The blue eyed teen sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "It's Olivia, she's not doing so great." Mary's heart fell to the ground, or maybe it was ripped out of her chest; either way, she felt like she couldn't even breathe. Olivia, her sweet little girl from the Hospital, was not alright.

"What happened?" She murmured; her voice was so hoarse that Mary almost didn't recognize it.

"Her mom called me this morning because she knows how close I am with Liv and well… her organs are starting to fail because the cancer is spreading. They had to perform surgery on her but it didn't work." Around Isaac's blue iris, all the white was filled with rays of blood, as if he were trying his best not to shed a single tear. "She barely made it through the night and her mom is freaking out because, right now, the machines are the only thing keeping Liv alive."

* * *

The two students rushed to the Hospital right after school and Mary almost didn't recognize the small girl lying on the Hospital bed, surrounded by all kinds if machines. There were tubes on her nose, wires everywhere and finally there were also needles stuck to her fragile skin (of course they were covered with band-aids but what difference did it make?)

Liv's mom was sitting on a chair right beside her daughter; she was holding her daughter's hand while tears fell from her eyes. Mary thought Olivia looked like her mom; they had the same small nose, the same chin and also the same eyes (dark-brown) – they were both very beautiful and it was terrible to see them going through such a terrible situation.

The brunette walked slowly to Liv's mom, even though they'd never met, but still the young female placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I-… I'm friends with your daughter." She murmured. The woman turned her head to Mary; at first she looked surprised, as if she hadn't notice her presence until that moment, and then she smiled sadly. Her eyes were so filled with pain and desperation… a look so familiar to Mary; she would see it every day reflected in the mirror or in her parent's eyes every time she complained of a headache.

"Her doctors said she's way too weak. They're not even sure if she's going to wake up." The way that woman pronounced those words, stuttering and trying her best no to cry anymore, it was like a gunshot through Mary's chest.

She glanced down at Liv, pale and possibly cold, and then back at her mother, still with her life ahead of her (though Mary doubted that woman would continue to _live_ without her daughter). She couldn't help but wonder about her own future; one day it would be Mary on her deathbed, one day it would be her parents crying and praying to God to save her.

One day Mary would die. And that day was close.

The brunette spent the whole afternoon at the Hospital with Isaac; he was sitting beside Liv's mom, while Mary was on the other side of the bed, curled up on a red – and very uncomfortable – sofa. After a while, someone knocked on the door and Mary was surprised to see Derek. Isaac had probably texted him to come.

"How is she?" He questioned. Her mom didn't answer, too busy looking out for her child to pay attention to what was happening around her; a bomb could blow up outside the Hospital and still that woman wouldn't move. Mary didn't blame her.

Sighing, it was the brunette who spoke up, looking Derek straight in the eye. He looked worried, even though he was the best at hiding his own feelings. "She's holding on." The man nodded and glanced down at his own feet. Then, he leaned against the wall, right beside the door, and just stood there, his eyes glued to the ground.

It was the first time they were in the same room together after his phone call, a few days ago. In all that chaos and despair, even though they hadn't talked for a while, just to be in his presence, to know Derek was there, gave Mary a strange feeling of reassurance.

For that she was grateful.

* * *

Mary was almost falling asleep on the sofa until all the machines in that room started to_ beep_ furiously. As she opened her big blue eyes, slowly waking up, she realized she couldn't hear anything and the nurses and doctors that came into the room were moving in slow motion. Someone must have told her to get out of the room but, once more, she didn't realize it until Derek's face was right in front of her. He was talking to her, his mouth was moving but no sound came out of it.

Without a warning, the green eyed man wrapped one of his arms around her waist and forced the brunette to get up and walk out of the room. Derek must have known by the way she would stumble on her own feet that Mary wouldn't be able to stand up for more than two seconds if he let her go; outside the room, he helped her sitting down on the floor and kneeled in front of her.

Mary's blue eyes were hollow and even thought they were focused on Derek, all she could think about was Olivia. _Olivia, Olivia, Olivia... my sweet Olivia…_

One day it would be Mary. One day it would be Mary dying, and it would be her parents screaming for her to stay alive.

"… answer me. Mary, what the hell, say something…" And she could hear again. She could hear everything; she could hear Derek's voice - always so strong and steady - she could hear machines beeping and she could hear Olivia's mom crying loudly.

"_Time of death, 8:12."_

Olivia's mom screamed in pain. The world had just lost a beautiful human being and now Mary understood why today she woke up to a sad and dark sky. She realized she was crying when Derek touched her face with his fingers carefully, cleaning away the tears. She just looked at him with horror, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly. "She- she hated needles."

Mary was not making sense and even thought Derek was too grieving for little Olivia, even though he too felt his heart breaking in half, his priority was Mary, who wouldn't stop shaking and crying silently.

Suddenly, she grabbed his upper arm, using it as a support to get up. "She hated needles."

Those were her last words before Mary finally let go of Derek and walked away. He didn't dare to follow her.

* * *

_*present day*_

_It hurts so much_, she cried. At some point, the psychological pain turned physical from all the crying and Mary could only think of how grateful she was that her parents were going to arrive late that night. Mary didn't want them to see her crying.

She cried for more than one hour until her body stopped producing tears and she realized she didn't want to be alone. It was too much pain to overcome all by herself.

She reached for her phone and immediately called Derek. Mary wasn't sure why, but it felt right. She didn't want Rebecca – her so called 'best friend' - to comfort her, or Isaac. She wanted Derek; Mary _needed_ Derek.

"Mary?" "This-this is going to sound so stupid but can you please come to my house? Please? I don't want to be alone." The words came out weakly and the fact that Mary was still sobbing wasn't much help but, somehow, she managed to build those sentences. Derek replied with softness, something she knew he had in his heart but would rarely show.

"I'm on my way."

* * *

The brunette waited for him by the door as she watched Derek park his car in front of the house. Good thing Ozzy, her dog, was locked outside, by the pool, since he hated strangers; also, Mary was wearing nothing but her underwear and a blue shirt, and her eyes were red from all the crying, but she didn't really care about that in that moment. She just wanted Derek to… hold her, maybe?; to take away the pain if possible.

As soon as he reached the front door, Mary nodded with her head, inviting him in. Both sat on the same couch, side by side, in silence. A presence, maybe it was all that Mary needed to feel something other than despair but soon she realized she wanted more. She wanted to be hugged, to be cradled. To be told that she would survive.

Silence.

Mary could feel Derek's gaze upon her but her eyes were glued to the ground.

It didn't take long for her to start sobbing again. "Everything hurts…" She stuttered. "It hurts so much…"

It wasn't just because of Olivia and knowing she was gone; it was worse than that. What was causing all those tears, the despair and the panic, was the fact that one day it would be her. One day she would be the one dying and leaving everyone behind and Mary knew she had only – maybe - threemonths left; actually, no, because she'd be lucky to even survive Christmas.

"I'm dying… oh God, I'm going to die." She cried. It all hit her so hard in that moment that her lungs suddenly forgot how to work. Mary couldn't breathe. She was panicking, shaking.

Derek pulled her close, Mary's back safely leaned against his chest. "It's ok, you're ok… just breathe Mary." He whispered into her ear, cradling the brunette in his arms. It wouldn't work, she was having a panic attack.

"Mary." He called out. Finally, Derek reached for her shaky hand and held it tightly, lifting both of them in the air, right in front of Mary's face. "Look at your hand." He demanded. "Mary, I'm holding your hand. I'm here, you're not alone."

It took her a few seconds to actually see their hands, fingers intertwined so perfectly like they had been made just for each other. "Just focus. Look at our hands._ I'm not gonna let you die. _Find an anchor."

And after a while, her lungs started working again. Her heartbeat slowed down just a little. Her body stopped shaking so much.

Mary was breathing heavily but she_ could_ breathe.

She remembered having one of those panic attacks just a few nights after being diagnosed with an aneurysm. Her mom had to drive her to the Hospital because, at that time, Mary didn't have an anchor – or maybe she_ didn't know _she_ had one_.

This time, to calm down, she thought about her parents, she focused on Derek's voice but mostly, she focused on her own body, her last months in the physical world, _her list_… ah, that stupid list.

Still with their fingers intertwined, Derek used his free hand to caress her face, cleaning away the tears and the sweat. "Good girl." He whispered. Even though her blue eyes were closed, Mary could feel him smiling, which was so weird. _How do you even feel people smiling?,_ she thought. However, the brunette forgot about all that when she felt Derek's thumb absently stroking her neck. It felt _so good_.

Mary was completely wrapped inside his arms and she prayed to a God she didn't believe for death to be like that, or _to feel like him._ Yes, she wouldn't mind dying if death felt like him.

Leaning her forehead against his neck, Mary murmured. "I don't want to die."

Before falling asleep in his arms, she remembered earing his voice replying "I don't want you to." But it sounded so absurd, like something he'd never _ever_ say to her; Mary couldn't help but smile as she leaned in closer – if that was even possible. "Liar." And then, inhaling his perfume and with his beard making her forehead tickle, she finally fell asleep.

* * *

"Sweetheart?" That voice sounded familiar; it was surely a man but the brunette was still half asleep, which made it hard to figure out who the man was. Then, a soft and gentle hand touched her hair. "Derek..." Mary murmured; even though she was 99% sure it wasn't the green eyed man trying to wake her up, she could still smell his perfume; god damn it, she wanted him to wake her up.

"Mary, honey…" The voice called again. Reluctantly, she opened her big blue eyes and only then she realized it was her dad talking to her. Keegan Bennett was a handsome man considering his age; he had big blue eyes, his hair was dark and he had the kind of smile that could light up a whole town.

"Your eyes… have you been crying, honey?" Mary just nodded. Then, she told her dad about Olivia, about her list and how it made her upset, and then lied about how she ended up on the couch – Derek was never mentioned.

The blue eyed man seemed to believe her as he kneeled beside the couch and grabbed his daughter's hand, giving it a little squeeze. "I'm so sorry, honey." Keegan Bennett was the master of words, but he seemed strangely tongue-tied. Now Mary was crying again. Not the panicky kind of crying, but the silent type, in which the tears are falling from your eyes but you just don't feel them; you're not even aware that you're crying.

"Dad, I want you and mom to have another kid. I don't want you to be alone after I'm gone. It's in my list; you _have_ to make it happen." She whispered. What happened next was amazingly strange to watch; Keegan looked surprised, relieved, scared, and maybe even uncomfortable, those feelings all at once. He bit his bottom lip – a strange habit that both of them shared – and then he sighed.

"I wasn't supposed to tell you this without your mother, especially now, after everything that you told me that happened today…" He paused. "We didn't want you to feel left out, or that you weren't our only priority anymore, because that's not true. You will always be our number one priority and…" Mary's father had this very strange habit of rambling when he was nervous or couldn't find the proper words to explain himself (actually, he was the king of strange habits).

"Dad, are you saying what I think you're saying?" Mary was now crying tears of joy. Keegan smiled softly and gave another squeeze to his daughter's hand. That was the reason her mom couldn't pick her up on her first (and only) date with Derek.

"Your mom is three months pregnant."

* * *

**Soooooo, here it is! I hope you don't hate me much for killing Liv!**

**Anyways, the next chapter will bring a few changes to Derek and Mary's relationship, I'm really excited to show it to you guys! I promise I'l try and post it ion Sunday!**

**Now, please review, tell me your opinion and…. Lots of love! Thanks for reading! :')**


	8. Revelations

**Here's another one! I'm not even going to ramble - it's very late here in Portugal and i'm so soooo tired! - so, all I wanted to say is that this chapter took me forever but it's one of my favourites. **

**Hope you'll enjoy it! **

* * *

_**16**__**TH**__** OF OCTOBER**_

One week had passed since Olivia died. Mary didn't go to her funeral even though Isaac practically begged, claiming that Olivia would have loved them to be present; Mary refused to go, it was too painful (and she hoped little Olivia wasn't mad at her). Derek – too – tried to persuade her.

"Olivia loved you." He told her over the phone. Mary sighed. "And I loved her too but please, let it go, I'm not going." "You should. I'll be there with Isaac and-" "I don't care, I'm not going." Mary was losing her temper. She was feeling sensitive and irritable lately which was totally understandable, or so she thought. Apparently Derek didn't think that way. "You're not being reasonable." Oh, really? "Excuse me? I'm not being reasonable? Do you want me to give you my beloved aneurysm?" "Stop feeling sorry for yourself." Ok, that was it. "Really, Derek? Really? The only funeral I'm attending is my own and guess what, you're not invited." And she hung up.

However, it wasn't all bad news and bad feelings. That same week, Juliet Bennett made a list with all kinds of names, from boys to girls, and asked her daughter to help her. "Pick a simple one." Warned mama Bennett, curled up in a ball on the couch right beside Mary; the brunette scratched some names out of the paper on her hands.

"Seriously mom? Anna?" "I like it." Juliet replied calmly. "Your name is a huge reference to a Shakespeare book; dad's name is just hard to pronounce. I think my brother or sister should have a glorious name, not something like Anna… or John, or MARY!, yeah let's not make the same mistake twice, please."

By the end of the day, it all came down to four names. If it were a girl, it would be Colleen (Mary though it was a strong name, "it screams 'kneel, I'm your queen'", she added), or Autumn (simply because it was Mary's favorite season, the one in which the leaves burn into a million colors). If it were a boy, possibly Roland (Mary thought it was cute but authoritarian at the same time) or Neil (easy to pronounce and could also mean 'kneel, I'm the boss around here'.)

"You're wasting your time with the boys' names." Keegan said as he entered the living room and sat down by the wooden table with a newspaper in his hands. Juliet frowned and put her arm around Mary's shoulders.

"And why is that?" "Because male genes don't run in the family." He started. "I have four sisters, my mother has six. And you Julie, you only have one sister and your mother has three. I've been surrounded by beautiful women my whole life and that's never going to change." And with that, both mother and daughter laughed happily.

"Colleen Bennett it is!"

* * *

_**26**__**TH**__** OF OCTOBER**_

"C'mon girls, you call that swimming? My grandmother would probably swim better than all of you. And she's dead!" The coach shouted at the girls in the swimming pool. It was almost six in the afternoon, which meant it was almost time for everyone to go home. Mary was dismissed from that class for obvious reasons, but she insisted to be present every day.

Sometimes it was frustrating to see all those girls fighting for a trophy or a medal that once belonged to her. Some of them would even ask her for advice but her answer was always the same: practice, _that's what led me to the top_. Of course the girls didn't seem very satisfied with the answer but they wouldn't complain either.

"Robins and Avery, out of the pool! You too, Mills! Tate and Forbes, you have _one_ minute to go from this side of the pool to the other, and then you come back. One minute, girls, did you hear that? One freaking minute, that's all!" "That's impossible." Malia Tate replied with both arms crossed above her chest. She always looked like she had no clue of what was going on around her but her brown eyes were strong and intimidating… except for coach; he didn't think she was intimidating at all. "Then make it possible!" And he whistled angrily. "Get in the water Tate, now!" And he whistled again. Ah, that was annoying.

Malia Tate was new at the school and sometimes Mary would bet she didn't even like to swim. Maybe Malia just wanted to fit in, which was totally understandable, but if she didn't like it, why not give the spotlight to another swimmer? It was a little unfair.

The coach whistled and the girls jumped into the swimming pool.

Suddenly, the brunette felt twinges of pain on the back of her head, as if a thousand needles were being pressed against it. At first she ignored it and tried to focus on the two girls – who were clearly trying their best to swim fast. However, the pain didn't go away. It turned into a headache in a matter of minutes. It was the aneurysm, it had to be.

_"__Please God, don't kill me just yet."_ She thought.

Mary walked carefully to the coach, her vision starting to get blurry as the pain heightened. "Ahem, coach, I need you to get me an ambulance." She asked in a low tone of voice; no need to alarm everyone. The tall man turned to the former champion firstly with indifference; however, when he saw the brunette squeeze her eyes shut and rubbing her forehead, it was like a red light inside his head. He knew about Mary's medical condition and the last thing he needed was another student of his to die.

His clumsy hands managed to find the cell phone inside of one of the many pockets of his jacket. He dialed 911.

"This is an emergency; the school needs an ambulance _right now._"

* * *

Isaac Lahey was just getting out of the school after he finished a new History project when he saw an ambulance arriving. Only then he noticed the coach with one of his arms wrapped around Mary Bennett's waist, trying to keep her from falling to the ground. Her eyes were closed in agony and her legs were wobbling. "Oh no…" He murmured.

Mary had an aneurysm; maybe that was it.

One of the paramedics lifted Mary from the ground and took her to the ambulance carefully. She hid her face against the paramedic's neck and Isaac couldn't help but notice how her fingernails were stuck to the man's jacket, holding it tight. She was in a lot of pain, that part was completely obvious.

Without even knowing why, the teen rushed to the ambulance and jumped right in. The paramedics immediately started to yell at him to get out. "I know her, I'm with her." He replied. If it weren't for Mary opening her blue eyes and recognizing him, Isaac would probably have been kicked out of that ambulance.

"Isaac." She whispered with a soft smile on her lips. He nodded.

The ambulance started to move really fast and the paramedics and Isaac watched as the paramedics kept throwing questions at her, questions she clearly wasn't able to answer due to the headache. "She has an aneurysm." He announced. All three pairs of eyes inside that ambulance turned to him, including Mary's. She didn't seem surprised; in fact, the look on her face was clearly a 'thank you' kind of look.

The blond teen sat quietly next to Mary as he watched the paramedics taking care of her. He didn't know much about medicine but he was sure they were administrating her some kind of sedative.

The brunette turned her face to him and looked for his hand. He gave it to her without thinking twice about it. "You can squeeze it if you want." Mary smiled at him, despite all the pain she was feeling. "Do me a favor, Isaac…" The blond raised an eyebrow in doubt, but soon nodded. "What is it?" Her voice was weak, fragile, pure glass. "If I die, tell Derek that he's invited. He'll understand."

_Derek? Invited for what?_, he thought. As far as he was concerned, the two of them were not exactly friends… or maybe they were, but Derek was a complicated person, and Mary was even more complicated, which did not help Isaac figuring out what the hell was she talking about.

"You-you're not going to die." He stuttered but Mary was fast to answer. "Promise me you'll tell him." Her blue eyes, despite the hell she was going through, they were strong, fearless. Isaac, once more, nodded. What else could he do, really? "I promise."

Before arriving at the hospital, Mary was put to sleep. That way she wouldn't be in so much pain, the paramedics told him. Isaac wasn't so sure, but who was he to contradict them?

When he sat down on the floor, at the Hospital's entrance, he dialed Derek's number. One _beep_. Two _beeps_. He picked up. "What is it?" Derek asked, no sign of emotion in his voice. Isaac let out a sigh. "I don't know what's going on between you and Mary, but she's at the Hospital, I think it has something to do with her aneurysm."

* * *

Derek wasn't sure why, but as soon as Isaac called him and told him about Mary, it didn't take him more than ten minutes to get to the Hospital.

Isaac was just outside and when both werewolves were finally face to face, the former Alpha didn't control the words from coming out of his mouth. "Is she ok?" Isaac shrugged his shoulders, concern all over his face; Derek let out a gasp.

He wanted to hit something. No, _break_ something.

"Are you guys dating?" That question was so out of contest and so unexpected that Derek raised both eyebrows with surprise. "Are you crazy? No." He grumbled but the blond werewolf didn't seem to be convinced. "Mary made me promise to tell you something if she dies." Words would never describe how confused the green eyed man was.

"Go on." "She said that you're invited. Does that make sense to you?" He paused, evaluating Derek's expression. That man was a mask; he refused to let people know whatever he was feeling; but oh, the former Alpha new exactly what he was talking about. Her funeral.

Two weeks ago they had a small fight – or something like that – over the phone and Mary made it clear that she didn't want him to be present at her funeral. Being close to death must have changed her mind, which was not entirely good.

"I have a plan." "You- you have a plan?" With just one look, Isaac figured it out. "Wow, now I'm the one to say it: are you crazy? Is it even going to work? You almost died when you tried to save Cora." Derek didn't dare to answer, instead he just walked into the Hospital, determined to find Mary.

* * *

When Mary woke up, still with her eyes shut, she could hear the machines _beeping_ all around her. It was such a familiar and scary sound. However, she felt a new scent floating through the air; well, not exactly _new_, she recognized it.

Slowly, her blue eyes started to open. She was in a hospital bed and she felt no pain, not anymore. Her headache was gone. She was supposed to be dead, right? What had happened?

Something was holding her wrist. Or someone.

_"__Derek."_ She thought. Lowering her eyes, Mary saw him starring down at her arm, his hands carefully holding her wrist. It could be a strange but simple picture to look at, but that was until the brunette noticed dark veins in _his _arm; also, he was shaking and had small drops of sweat streaming down his face. _What the hell…?_

"Derek…" Mary murmured. Her voice didn't sound as weak as she thought; in fact, it sounded… _normal_. At first, Derek didn't answer; he seemed to be too focused on her arm – again, what the hell! - to notice she was already awake. The brunette moved her upper body, trying to sit down, which caught the man by surprise. He immediately let go of her wrist. (Truth be told, when he did that, Mary felt like something was missing in her.)

"You're awake." He sounded relieved, yet just a little bit surprised. Mary nodded and leaned in closer only to grab his arm, the one with the dark veins… but they weren't there anymore. She frowned. She knew what she saw. His veins were black as night just a few seconds ago.

"Your veins were black." She whispered, running her fragile fingers through his arm with disappointment. Derek coughed, but Mary wouldn't let go of his arm.

"How are you feeling?" He asked in an innocent tone. Maybe it would distracter for a minute. "Your veins were black." Or maybe not… "And apparently you're not making sense." Derek got up from the chair he was sitting in and placed both hands on his waist.

Mary was making total sense, except he was too much of a coward to tell her that. Once more, just like the night they met and she saw his eyes.

"It's just like the other night at the pool. I _know _what I saw." Her big blue eyes were determined, strong, convinced of what was coming out of her mouth. Derek felt guilty, irresponsible maybe, but let's face it. He should care about her seeing him taking her pain away (maybe even reducing the size of her aneurysm, he hoped), but he didn't. He felt comfortable enough to do so. But he would not tell her the truth; she probably wouldn't believe me… or if she did, she would probably run from him.

"You told Isaac that I was invited to your funeral." Probably not the smoothest way to change the subject; suddenly Mary started to blush. "I was probably hallucinating." "I'm sure you weren't. What made you change your mind?" He teased.

The brunette let out a small sigh as she got rid of her sheets with her legs and proceeded to sit at the edge of the bed. For a moment, Derek felt unable to take his eyes off of her legs; that was the first time he noticed she wasn't wearing her own clothes but some sort of white robe from the Hospital.

"I guess that I… I was sure that God was punishing me for being stupid and I swear… before passing out on the ambulance I could hear Him laughing at me, like 'here's a free ticket to your grave! Enjoy the ride!' and… I don't know, I guess I wanted you to go to my funeral after all…" When Mary lifted her eyes to meet his gaze, her expression was serious but her eyes softened. Now, starring at her small, fragile existence, Derek realized something.

Mary was such a fragile girl; watching her sitting on that bed, her legs swinging back and forth, she looked like a child. A very strong, sad and confused child. Derek was 99% she wasn't in love with him; maybe she thought she was but what did she know about love? She was probably seventeen years old _and_ dying. When you're dying, when you're lonely, you probably get everything mixed up, maybe even your emotions.

But he also realized something else.

He wasn't seventeen and he wasn't dying. And he liked Mary… quite a lot, actually. The thought of losing that sweet and irritating girl was unbearable to the point he felt his heart break in half.

_Shit. _

"Now you're going to be honest with me. What's up with your eyes and the black veins?" Ah, obviously she would _never_ let that go.

"I'm glad you're ok." Mary knew he was leaving as soon as Derek pronounced those words. "We're not done yet; you're not leaving me without an answer, Derek." Mary tried to grab his jacket as he turned around but her fingers slipped, causing her to fall to the ground… or _almost_ falling to the ground.

Somehow, Derek was fast enough to grab her; a protective hand on her back and the other on her waist, pulling the blue eyed girl closer to him.

Their faces were so close, just enough for their lips to touch… it would only take a single move for that to happen. At first it seemed to be mutual; Derek's lips were parted; Mary could feel his breath caressing her skin and her lips. But that was it.

And it all ended too soon when the green eyed man lifted Mary in his arms and sat her down on her bed once more.

"I should probably go." And he did. Mary didn't dare to stop him.

Finally alone in that room, she allowed herself to feel stupid for almost kissing him. What the hell was she thinking? He was obviously not interested in her. "Stupid, stupid girl." She whispered.

However, she couldn't help but touch her own lips with her fingers, wondering "_Oh, but what If I had kissed him?"_

* * *

"How is she?" Isaac questioned but Derek just crossed his arms above his chest. "She'll be fine for now." "Because you took her pain away." The former Alpha lifted his eyes to meet Isaac's, unsure of what he had just heard. "You were listening, weren't you?" He demanded to know; Isaac did not take a step back, he didn't even blink. The blond just nodded.

"You know you can't keep doing that forever. She's already suspicious, you're obviously tired from what you did and let's face it, one day, she will eventually d-" "I know." The man interrupted.

Derek wasn't in the mood for that conversation. Instead, he just walked back to his car and drove home, the image of Mary's lips, of Mary's innocent blue eyes still revolving around his head. She was right about something. Nobody would want to commit to a dying girl, it was too much responsibility, too much pressure, just _too much_…; once she was gone, she would be in peace, but everybody else who cared for her would be in pain.

No, he would _not_ let her die.

Derek needed that annoying, beautiful creature in his life; he needed to be flooded in her innocence; he needed her to live because he couldn't imagine a world without her in it.

That was it. He would just keep on reducing her aneurysm until it would stop working.

* * *

**Here it issssssss, hope you liked it! Please review :))**

**Lots of Love! x**


	9. The List

**HELLOOO! First of all, I'm so sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been waiting for my acceptance letter from college and YAY, I'LL START NEXT WEEK! I'M REALLY HAPPYYYYY! :) Secondly, I appreciate every single review but since I don't have a way to answer you _Cecily_ (guest), thank you so much for being an adorable person and for giving me such kind words of support! I'm not planning on giving up this fic. It might take me a while to finish it since I'm starting college but I _WILL_ finish it! :)**

**Ok, this one is really small, and the next one is one of my favorites (because Mary will finally get her tattoo!) and it'll be fun! :) So please don't be too desappointed on this chapter! It will get better eheh.**

**Ok please ENJOY! :)**

* * *

**_27TH OCTOBER_**

_"__Dear Diary,_

_This sounds really stupid, I feel like a kid again, except this time I'm not writing about boys (not yet, just give me a minute) or how much I hate my parents for not being present at the swimming competition. It's a bit different this time._

_My little friend, you know, the one that lives inside my brain and that's constantly trying to kill me, almost succeeded yesterday. I was not supposed to be alive. The first exams were pretty definite, a death sentence. However, when I woke up, I was feeling just fine. More exams. The aneurysm was small again._

_The doctors called it a miracle, since there was no scientific explanation for it, but I'm not fully convinced; I should be happy, right? I mean, I'm still alive, that should be a good thing, but something feels _really_ wrong. I feel like I tricked destiny, or fate, or whatever you want to call it. You see, I read a book about Helen of Troy in which a woman predicted a war in her name. Her parents tried to avoid that war from happening, protecting Helen inside their palace. Turns out that trying to trick fate is completely useless. Helen ran away with Paris, she left Menelaus and that's it: war. You can't run from destiny. You just can't. The earth needs balance and will do anything to restore it._

_Which reminds me: history test on Monday."_

* * *

**_29__TH__ OF OCTOBER_**

Mary arrived late on purpose; she didn't want everyone to look at her with concern, she didn't want Isaac to ask her if she was feeling ok and she definitely didn't want to hear her colleagues whispering on the corridors. For the first few hours of that day she just focused on her test. It was pretty easy.

* * *

Right after the test, when everyone finally left the room and Mary rushed to her locker, it seemed to be impossible to avoid Isaac any longer.

"Hey, how did the test go?" He asked joyfully as soon as the brunette closed her locker, his presence startling her. "Jesus, Isaac!... ahm, good. You?" The blond shrugged his shoulders with indifference and leaned against the lockers, still with a grin on his face. "I see you're feeling better." Ah, there it was.

"May the odds be ever in my favor." Mary replied angrily with a fake british accent and even though she wasn't even smiling, Isaac still laughed. After realizing Mary wasn't in the mood to talk, the blue eyed teen bit his bottom lip nervously. "You don't seem happy about it." He added, now subtly rubbing the back of his head. For a brief moment, the brunette almost turned around and walked away but then she reminded herself that Isaac was one of her few friends, possibly the only one she could trust.

"It's just…" She paused as she leaned against her locker and glanced down at her shoes. "I should be dead, something happened inside my head and, I don't know, but the aneurysm is small again." When her big blue eyes met his gaze, Isaac seemed calm; he even shrugged. "You're just giving yourself more reasons to be happy about it." "I'm not, something doesn't feel right. When I woke up at the hospital I was just fine, it doesn't make any sense." And after finishing that sentence and remembering that afternoon, waking up to Derek sitting beside her bed, Mary felt the heat spreading on her cheeks. They almost kissed.

And his veins were black while he held her wrist. That was weird as shit.

"I… I need to make a call. Give me a minute." Mary didn't even wait for Isaac to answer. She just turned her back and looked for her phone inside her bag. She needed to talk to Derek, she needed answers and she knew she wouldn't get them with a simple question. She had to fight for them.

The brunette had a plan.

One beep. Two beeps. Three beeps.

"Hi." "Yeah sure, hi, we need to talk." What a nice way to start a conversation, wasn't it? Fortunately, Derek didn't mind her rude ways; when he answered he was polite, delicate and incredibly charming. "Has anyone ever told you what a roller-coaster you are? It's kind of stressful." He wasn't making fun of her, Mary got the feeling that he was just trying to be nice but still… "Not important right now. Can you come by my house after school?" He hesitated but, after a few seconds, he sighed. "Sure, why not?"

And then, with a winning smile on her face, Mary turned around and grabbed Isaac's arm. "Let's go eat something."

* * *

The plan was perfect. Or at least it _seemed_ perfect.

Mary was sitting on the couch with her '_To do'_ list resting on her lap while she was waiting for Derek.

Mary wanted a real answer for the question "Your eyes were red, how do you explain that?" or "Your veins were black, explain that too. Why are you always changing colors?" But he was not going to bend easily. She would have to play the innocent victim – which she already was – and get Derek to help her with the list. Then, Mary would seduce him (or she could try) and if that wasn't enough, then she would think of something else. She wanted answers before dying, that's all, and Derek had those answers.

After a while, the bell rang and Mary rushed to the door with one of her hands wrapped around the list.

Without giving time for Derek to say a single word, the brunette pulled him by the shirt, shut the door and threw him against it. The green eyed man could have stopped her at any second but, surprisingly, he didn't. In fact, he looked like he was enjoying that whole situation.

Mary took a step back and proceeded to unfold the small piece of paper; then, she handed it to the tall man in front of her without saying a single word. At first he looked confused but then he finally accepted the paper.

"Number one, visit New York…" He read out loud, pausing to glance down at the brunette. He noticed how her big blue eyes were shinning with expectation. "Number two, spend a night at a motel… ok, wait, what am I reading exactly?" "My list." She answered joyfully. Derek raised an eyebrow, slowly realizing what she really meant by 'her list'.

Derek kept reading it, only this time in silence, until he reached the last number. It was scratched. Apparently Mary was having a new sibling.

Letting out a small sigh Derek glanced down at the small brunette once more with a soft smile on his lips. "Why are you showing me this?" He asked. Mary shrugged and lowered her eyes to the floor. When their eyes met again, the werewolf noticed how great she looked. There were still dark circles under her eyes, but she didn't look tired anymore.

"Well, you're gonna help me get those things done by the end of December." Mary answered with an innocent smile on her lips. Damn it, she was beautiful and she knew exactly how to manipulate him.

Derek took another look at the list and laughed.

"I'm not taking you to New York _or_ a Motel." "Yes you are, my parents will pay you." She had it all planned out (except her parents didn't know she was counting on their money to do all that stuff, but she'd talk to them later).

"I'm pretty sure you already have a tattoo, most girl of your age have one." He challenged, but Mary faked an offended look as she crossed both arms above her chest. "You think I'm like most girls? You're so naïve, Derek."

The werewolf didn't even answer, he just kept on reading. "Go to the movies… alright, I can do that. And the driving thing too." Oh, the next one… he laughed nervously. "Ok, you're nice and everything but there's no way we're having sex on the back of my car. Except if you're a virgin and I'm you last resource." This time Mary looked genuinely grossed out. "Ehw, I barely know you! And FYI, I'm not a virgin. Just keep reading." And he did, even though knowing she wasn't a virgin and was planning on having sex with someone else made Derek want to break something.

"Your hair… it's perfect the way it is now, but if you really want to change it, alright." Finally, he handed her the list and noticed the teasing smile on her lips. "So…" She said sweetly. "Will you help me? Pretty please?"

* * *

**_3RD OF NOVEMBER_**

Saturday morning and Mary was driving Derek's black and very expensive car. "Stupid piece of crap!" She cursed when the car stopped in the middle of the road. It happened three times and those three times Derek would grumble at her "Well, this _stupid piece of crap_ doesn't seem to like you either." But, at the end of the day it was all about scratching one more thing off the list.

It was worth it.

* * *

**TA-DAAAAAAA, here it is. I enjoyed writing it down but I know it's not one of my best chapter... oh well, please follow, favorite or review, I appreciate it! :)**

**LOTS OF LOVE! **


	10. Louder Than Thunder

**Hello again! I decided to post another chapter mostly because you guys were so sweet to me on your reviews! Since I can't answer you privately (either you're a 'guest' or I really can't send you a PM), here it goes: **

**_(cecily)_ hey there sweetie! nooo, don't apologize, I love your reviews, you're adorable! I'm doing my best on giving you guys details about Derek's personality based on what I've seen on the show, I hope I'm doing ok! (: **

**_(hotaru himura)_ hey lovely! The other characters will eventually show up later, it's really hard to include them in a non-supernatural world eheh but I promise you, you'll see them interacting with mary and derek later! :D thanks for your lovely review, hon!**

**Okkkkk, this is one of my favorites, I hope you'll like it! I'll try to update as soon as possible but from now on it'll be harder since I'm starting college on Monday… oh well, please enjoy!**

* * *

**_10_****_TH_****_ OF NOVEMBER_**

_"__Dear Diary,_

_I know I said I would not talk about boys but it's different this time. He's a good guy. At first it was awkward, then it was strange and now… I guess we're friends – we even make fun of each other sometimes. But here's the thing. He's really cute and stuff but he's hiding something. I just know it, I can't explain it. _

_Anyways, here's what's happening tonight: we're going to the movies – on a date. Derek agreed to help me cross things out of my list and I plan on finishing it by the end of December. We'll see how it goes. _

_Now I must find something nice to wear. I have two hours to get ready."_

Mary ended up wearing blue jeans, snickers and a green hoodie. The movie was really great but her favorite part of that night was when Derek drove her home while both listened to the Arctic Monkeys on the radio. She was beginning to love that band all because of him.

When he parked the car in front of Mary's house, the dark haired man leaned against his seat and sighed. "Ok, how many things left on the list?" He questioned with a soft glow on his eyes. Mary shrugged. "Too many. Next Saturday you're taking me some place where I can get a tattoo." She answered joyfully. The man next to her laughed. "Ok, sure, but what if I already had plans?" "Cancel them. I'm more important."

* * *

**_17_****_TH_****_ OF NOVEMBER_**

They were both sitting in the waiting room of the Tattoo saloon and Mary couldn't stop shaking. Not from the cold – it wasn't even cold, ok – but because she was super nervous. Getting a tattoo seemed like the most amazing idea a month ago but now, minutes from it to happen… well, sounded like a pretty dumb – and painful – idea.

Beside her, Derek coughed. When her eyes turned to him he couldn't help but smirk. Mary, who's a girly girl, always wearing flowery dresses and expensive shoes, looked… ordinary. No, not ordinary. She put on a punk rock look; she was wearing black pants, black shoes and a white shirt with no sleeves. Her hair was tied on a ponytail but it looked kinda messy.

"What?" She asked nervously. Derek shook his head but couldn't get that annoying smirk to leave his lips. "Sorry, nothing. I'll shut up." "No, what is it?" She insisted. Thank god she wasn't wearing any make up at all, no dark shadows or eyeliner to make her look like a panda (though she'd make a cute panda).

Derek sighed and tried not to laugh. "You look like the lead singer of a punk rock band." "Oh my God, I most certainly do _not_!" Her comeback didn't sound much confident. She got up and rushed to the bathroom. When she came back, Derek noticed that her hair was down, her curls falling gracefully over her shoulders. "Better?" She asked nervously. The werewolf did not reply, he just glanced up at her with one eyebrow raised.

"I look ridiculous, don't I? I wanted to look like Miley Cyrus, I mean, I wanted to look wild and fearless." She said, her voice lowering from word to word. She sighed hopelessly and dragged herself to the chair beside Derek.

The green eyed wolf just gazed at her happily. "Miley Cyrus doesn't look wild or fearless; she looks mental and half naked. Also, you didn't have to change your appearance just to get a tattoo. These guys don't care if you're a girl, a kid or an old lady as long as you pay for their work." He said; then, the brunette began lightly banging her head against the wall with her eyes closed and lips together in a thin line. "I'm so stupid, oh god, this was such a bad idea." She said. By that time Derek had already slipped his hand to the wall as cushioning and prevented her from doing herself any more damage. Mary already had an aneurysm; she didn't need a bump the size of a Ping-Pong ball on the back of her head as well. Plus, she looked adorable, freaking out about something as harmless – compared to a tsunami or global warming – as a tattoo.

"You're not stupid." He said. Mary stopped banging her head against his hand and practically jumped from her chair, _again_. She began walking in circles and biting her nails in front of the werewolf.

Derek sighed. "Mary, it's _just_ a tattoo-" but she cut him off with a serious look on her face and a finger pointed at his face. "You know what? Let's get out of here, maybe go to Starbucks or the park, maybe I don't need a tattoo to feel that my life is not such a nightmare, right?"

"Mary Bennett?" Derek watched as her body turned cold and slowly turned to the door at the end of the small corridor.

There was a tall man standing there; his hair was short and black – and really bright, which meant he was wearing some sort of gel to keep it steady? -, his eyes were big and dark, there was a small piercing on his bottom lip and his arms were covered with tattoos. For a guy, he looked ordinary; no, _nice_, actually. He was the kind of guy girls chase after.

That thought sent shivers up Derek's spine; almost involuntarily, he got up and put his arm over Mary's shoulders protectively. She almost didn't notice it. "Yes, she's ready." He spoke for her. The tattoo guy nodded with his head. "Alright Mary, I'm Devon, come in." Mary didn't even move. She was obviously scared and didn't want to be alone with that guy – and Derek _didn't want her to be alone with him_, who looked pretty much like a super model.

"Can I go with her?" The words slipped out of his mouth more sharply than he intended to, but the tattoo guy didn't seem to be surprised or intimidated. In fact he smiled widely to the werewolf while playing with the piercing on his bottom lip with his tongue. "Sure." He said. When he turned his back and walked into the room, Mary seemed stress-free.

"Oh my god, I think he likes you! He was totally checking you out!" She said with a smirk, but the werewolf chose to ignore her as he rolled his eyes.

The studio was just the perfect size; the walls were all painted black, except the ceiling, which was painted white. There were pictures everywhere, most of them advertising Devon's work but, near his desk, the pictures showed lots of men – including Devon – dancing, or making silly faces or even _kissing_. Ok, he was definitely gay, Mary was right – and when their eyes met, she had a _i-told-you-he's-totally-into-you_ kind of smile on her face.

"So, do you have anything in mind, Mary?" Devon asked from behind his desk. He seemed to be filling up some papers. "I wanted a quote tied to an anchor. I mean the quote would go all around my ankle and end up tied to the anchor." Devon handed her the same papers he was filling and she signed them. After returning them to Devon he practically tossed them on his desk and got up with a cheerful smile on his lips. "All right, come with me and we're gonna design it together."

After designing it on the computer and printing it, Devon told Mary to get rid of her black pants and to lie on the purple chair placed right in the middle of the studio.

When Mary took off her pants Derek didn't know whether to: a) demand her to put them back on, b) grab her and get out of that place, c) stare at her legs.

Option c), obviously. Not that he wanted to, but some instincts are _very_ hard to contain.

It wasn't the first time he was looking at her half-naked; that time, at her house, when she broke down in tears, she wasn't wearing any pants either, just her underwear and a t-shirt. Still, it felt like he was the only one allowed to look at her body and even though Devon was gay… it didn't feel right.

Her legs were muscled from all the swimming and her feet were small; Derek noticed her toenails were painted red. Then, he noticed something else. When the brunette lifted herself to the chair, he noticed the color of her underwear. Also red. Thank God she wasn't wearing a thong, which would have been awkward. It was the kind of underwear that girls use when they are planning on having sex with someone; the kind of underwear that's fancy, sexy and has lace.

Yes, _astonishingly_ sexy.

Derek waited patiently by the door, leaned against the wall.

"Hope you don't mind about the music, but I love Katy Perry." "It's fine, really… oh god, that's a big needle." "Feel free to kick me in the face if it hurts too much." Devon laughed; Mary laughed too. Derek didn't think he was funny.

When the needle touched her skin for the first time Mary mouthed "_Holy fuck_" to Derek; he faked a smile of encouragement and then she lowered her eyes to her ankle. She was in pain but did a great job hiding it. She even tried to chat with Devon, who would answer her happily.

"So, how long until I can put on my pants?" "Not much, I promise. Are you some sort of athlete?" "I used to be a swimmer." "That explains your legs." "I guess so…" "And you look like a little fish, your eyes are huge." "Thanks…?" "Yes, it was a compliment, you're welcome sweetie." He added with a smile.

Every time Mary had to roll on the chair so the tattoo would go all around her ankle, Derek could not help but look at her legs – and alright, her ass too. It was a great ass. However, there was this one time that she had to lie on her stomach and then, with her head placed on a red pillow, her eyes searched for his. She didn't look scared anymore but she would still bite her lip every once and a while. "You ok?" He mouthed at her, just to make sure. The corners of her mouth lifted in a soft smile; she nodded.

She rolled again on the chair.

"Almost done." "Thank God…" "I don't mean to be cocky or anything but this is looking great. I'm 99,9% sure you're going to love it."

Ten more minutes listening to Katy Perry and the sound of that needle filling the air and they were back to Derek's car. And then Mary invited him to watch a movie at her house. "I practically ruined your Saturday night, this is the least I can do. Plus, mom and dad are out of town for three days. I have alcohol and chips."

Deep down, he knew Mary was just trying to be nice, no second intentions behind her words. She was genuinely trying to redeem herself for stealing his time. Mary was being… well, _Mary_. Even though Derek didn't want to admit it, there was something about that crazy little human that he desperately wanted to have, maybe. It was dangerous, not only because he was a werewolf and Scott and his pack brought nothing but trouble – and he didn't want to involve her in that, _at all_ -, but mostly because Mary was sick and he was getting attached to her.

Derek wanted to protect that human; he wanted to make sure she would go to college one day, maybe get married and have kids. He wanted to make sure she was going to live a long, happy life.

Now, why did he feel that way? No, the real question was: where were all those feelings coming from?

Why did he feel butterflies inside his stomach every time she laughed? Or why did he feel like holding her in his arms every time she was sad? Why did he even agree to help her with her list?

_"__Because she is sick and she needed someone to help her_." He thought, but that wasn't the real reason anymore. It was _her,_ entire. It was her eyes, her smile, her strength, her heart, her laugh… it was _her_. He wanted to be around her. He wanted to be around the girl he shut out, the same one he practically spit out the words '_we're just friends, you're going to die, please don't have feeling for me, cool?'_

"Derek? Did you hear me?" She whispered. When their eyes met, the black haired man thought he'd never seen anyone as beautiful as Mary. There was something about the way the moon light was illuminating her skin, making her eyes even brighter and her smile even sweeter.

"Yeah, sure, let's go."

* * *

"Have you ever watched Grey's Anatomy?" She asked as she opened the front door. Derek shrugged. "I don't think so." "Great, let's watch it. The main Doctor is called Derek too."

At first it seemed like a bad idea. No, wait, not a bad idea – a boring idea. Derek didn't watch TV, at least not much. Most of the time he was busy with Scott's werewolf drama.

After watching the very first episode of the first season – yes, because that goddamn TV show had 10 seasons, which is insane! – and after eating two bags of chips and drinking fours glasses of whiskey, Mary thought it'd be funny to watch another episode. "Which character do you like most so far?" Mary asked as she basically fell on the couch beside Derek. Her smile was hollow but her eyes had a beautiful glow.

She wasn't eating but her relationship with the bottle of vodka seemed to be close to marriage. Clearly she wasn't used to drinking alcohol.

"The rude one that never smiles." "OH, Cristina Yang! I absolutely adoooooore her! She's a shark." And after pronouncing those words – which took her a great amount of time to pronounce – Mary put her head on Derek's lap and kept watching the episode as if nothing had happened.

"You know, Cristina, Meredith and Alex are the only survivors. George threw himself under a bus to save some random girl, I guess, and Izzie had hallucinations of her ex-boyfriend and then she finds out she has a tumor, but then she survives and gets married to Alex- wait, no, I think she got married to him _before_ the tumor… anyway, I've never really liked her so…" Derek did not respond.

Ten more minutes and Mary was completely asleep on his lap.

Derek tried to move her so he could get out of that couch but the minute he grabbed her arm she immediately shook him off and made an adorable sound, the same babies do when they refuse to wake up. He tried again but nop, the brunette was not going to let him go.

"I guess I'm staying…" He murmured in the dark; as if she had heard him, Mary rolled her body and lied on her back, one of her hands placed on her stomach.

Grey's Anatomy was still on, providing enough light for the werewolf to see the brunette. Her lips were parted and he could see her teeth just a little; you would expect her to snore, since she was breathing with her mouth, but no. She was peacefully asleep.

The urge to touch her face was too strong to ignore; Derek rubbed a lock of her dark hair between his thumb and forefinger. His knuckles slid down, grazing her cheek. Her lips curved in a soft smile as she leaned in closer. Mary rolled her body again, now with her forehead pressed against his stomach and using one of his legs as a pillow. Derek felt shivers running up and down his spine.

After so many dangerous and psychotic girls – _girlfriends_ – stealing his time and completely destroying his faith and trust in humanity, there she was, an angel on earth, right there, sleeping on his lap. Mary Bennett was extraordinary. She was a fighter and a dreamer, a fragile piece of glass who wouldn't dare to shatter. She was the ocean, she was the wind, she was a thousand lullabies; she was _light_.

But she was also a _human_. And she was _dying_.

Looking down at her small existence, her delicate hands, her beautiful curly brown hair, her full lips, her pale skin… Derek realized he was too attached to her. To live in a world in which she wasn't there anymore would be a burden too hard to take.

His heart skipped a beat as he realized he was falling in love with a human.

* * *

**So, did you like it? I really hope so, I had so much fun writing it!**

**One more chapter and they're off to New York! Many surprises on the way! :)**

**Please review, follow or favorite. :)**

**LOTS OF LOVE!**


	11. Between Two Points

**Hey lovely people! Here's another chapter, and then... NEW YOOOOORK WITH THE BBS! I'm still working on the next chapter but I'll probably get it done by the weekend and post it, I'M LOVIIING writing it, seriously, they're finally taking their relationship to another level! I'm really excited for you to read it but that's just on the weekend! For now, here's one... **

**HOPE YOU'LL LIKE IT!**

* * *

**_NOVEMBER 18_****_TH_**

Mary's big blue eyes opened slowly as the sunlight seeped into the living room. Her vision was blurry and her head hurt like hell, but it wasn't the aneurysm. It was a different kind of headache, the kind you get from a hangover. "No…" She murmured, her voice hoarse and weak. The brunette immediately closed her eyes and grabbed the first thing she could find – a shirt, maybe? – and pressed it against her forehead. But then she felt _skin._

Holy shit, Derek was _still_ there? _With her_?

"What exactly are you trying to do with my shirt?" He asked innocently. Mary didn't even dare to lift her eyes and tell him what the hell she was doing, because she wasn't even sure of _what_ she was doing, to be honest. Maybe trying to ease the pain… with his shirt? Ah great, what a nice excuse.

"Headache, stupid vodka…" She mumbled. Derek laughed softly as he touched her hair – wait, was he _really_ touching her hair? Holy shit, and she was completely curled up in a ball with her head on his lap? Great, just great… so much for keeping it cool and not awkward at all.

"Good news, I stayed up all night watching Grey's Anatomy while you were sleeping. Those doctors can't keep it in their pants." Pants? '_It'_? Realizing she was so close to both things made Mary push herself up from the couch… only to fall back into it with both hands covering her forehead. At least she didn't fall on top of Derek, that would have been embarrassing.

"Can you please get me my medicine? It's in the kitchen on the balcony, inside a wooden box." In less than 15 seconds Derek was back with a glass of water and a small pill. "Thank you." "No need for that."

After taking her medicine and handing the glass back to Derek, the brunette slowly let herself slide back to the couch and lie down as she closed her eyes. The place where Derek had been sitting all night was still warm.

She heard him let out a long sigh. He was close to her, maybe sitting on the ground and leaned against the couch. "Not used to alcohol, uh?" "It's been a long time…" she murmured. He laughed softly, the way you do when your friend is a goofy nut but you love them anyway. "Do you want me to go get you a blanket? Or to make you breakfast?" Her big blue eyes opened just a little and looked at Derek suspiciously. He looked so calm, so genuinely worried about her… it wasn't like him to be so nice. Well, he _was_ nice, true, but he just wasn't the kind of guy who'd want to show it.

"I'm good, you can go home if you want." She replied carefully, watching as his expressions changed. It wasn't a visible change; really, if they weren't so close she probably wouldn't have noticed the way his bottom lip quivered, or the way he faked a smile. "You sure you'll be fine?" "I'm not a kid anymore; I can take care of myself." She replied right away, maybe a little more sharply than she intended to; however and despite her weird ways to make a conversation, his eyes softened just a little as the corners of his mouth curved in a genuine and tender smile. "I'm sure you can do that but still, are you one hundred percent convinced that you _want_ me to go?" He insisted. Mary melted inside.

"You're sweet for wanting to take care of me but really, I'm good. You can go and have a life now." It was a joke, obviously, but Derek didn't laugh, he just kept on looking at her as if she were the most fragile thing on earth, a bird with a broken wing, or maybe a piece of glass. After a while, he sighed and got up. Mary followed him with her eyes. As soon as he reached the front door, right across the living room, he put his hand on the knob and hesitated. Derek's beautiful green eyes looked at her once more. "Call me if you need anything. Whatever it is." It wasn't a suggestion; it was an order.

Why was he being so bossy, all worried and adorable?

Slowly and very carefully the brunette sat on the couch while her mouth let out the words "If I didn't know you at all, I'd say you're in love with me." And then she laughed, as if the idea of Derek Hale being in love were the most ridiculous thing to ever thing about – but inside, she was a hurricane; stomach shrinking, hands tied together so fiercely as if to contain the shivers running up and down her body. For a long time Mary thought she was falling in love but then Derek told her he wasn't interested; she buried her feelings. She succeeded.

And now… oh Christ, now it was _him_ falling in love. She didn't know it for sure, but he was looking at her so intensely that it took her a lot of self-control not to look away. In fact, he was looking at her in a manner she started to recognize: it was the way she looked at a new book, one she had never read before, one that surprised her with all it had to say.

Derek was looking at her like _that._

_'__If I didn't know you at all, I'd say you're in love with me.', _the words revolving around his head, echoing inside his brain, polluting everything inside,_ poisoning_. The werewolf looked at the brunette sitting on the couch. Her brown hair was messy, there were still dark circles under her blue eyes (and he doubted they'd ever disappear) and that smile… it was huge and the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

_Silence. _

Mary didn't know what to say next, and Derek simply didn't feel like talking. He'd rather keep looking at her, memorizing every little thing about her that he liked, every detail. That's when he remembered something. "You didn't tell me what you tattooed on your ankle." Her eyes widened with surprise. "Ahm, I-…" she stuttered. "The quote… it's kinda silly but it means a lot to me." She warned. He just nodded. Mary sighed and looked down to her hands.

"It says '_there's nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it's sent away_.'"

Of course - it meant her struggle to live, the challenges she was facing and her strength to overcome them. Of course, he thought with a soft and almost invisible smile.

"It's beautiful." And then, he left. He didn't dare to say goodbye, he didn't even dare to look at her again; if he had, he wouldn't have been able to stop.

* * *

**_NOVEMBER 24_****_TH_**

_"__Dear diary,_

_Derek has been acting really weird._

_He stayed at home with me last weekend and we had fun watching tv and stuff, but then he left without saying goodbye. That same night, he called me right before I went to bed and when I asked him what was wrong, he simply answered_ 'Checking on you; also, I'm bored and I can't sleep. Would you mind keeping me company?' _and I did keep him company but I was basically the only one talking; he just kept on asking random questions like, what was my favorite color, what did I want to be when I was a kid, what was my opinion on feminism (which kept me going for almost an hour) – you know, stuff like that. _

_After an hour, he said '_thank you, I gotta go. Have a good night_.' And he hung up. _

_We haven't seen each other for a week but he calls me almost every night. It's weird because I'm always the one talking. When I try to ask him questions, he ignores them and just asks me more stuff. It's annoying. _

_I asked him to meet me today at the mall after I get a new haircut; he said he'd try to be there but honestly, I don't think he's coming. He's been avoiding me _physically_._

_I don't know what I did wrong."_

* * *

Truth is, when you're in love, you don't want to be too clingy or annoying – or a pain in the ass; you want to keep a certain distance so person _x_ won't notice that person _y _is in love with _x_. It's just as simple as that but sometimes people take it to a whole new level. Derek sure did. He didn't know how to handle his how feelings – at least not the good ones.

While waiting outside the mall, leaned against his car, the werewolf remembered his first love. She was also a brunette and a human. _Paige_ – oh, the beautiful Paige -, a musician with a fearless soul. Derek witnessed her last breath as she left the physical world, as she left him with an empty heart and rage running through his veins. After her, there was Kate, and then Jennifer, but both betrayed him in the worst way.

Derek knew he was cursed but it never kept him from involuntarily looking for closure – when he found Mary, an angel with blue eyes and a death sentence. She was cursed too but he could save her, if she'd let him – but for that she'd have to be ripped away from the normal world and pushed into the supernatural one; he was not gonna force her into that. No. (At least not for now…)

Suddenly, his phone started to ring, awakening the black haired man from his thoughts. Speaking of the Angel… she had just sent him a text message.

"_I doubted you'd come, but I'm glad you did. _

_Looking at you right now. _

_Find me." _

Derek immediately looked at the entrance of the mall. People were coming in and out through the doors but none of them looked like Mary. After a while of no sign of the brunette, she called him. "It's not a fair game, Mary Bennett." He said with a teasing tone. The blue eyed girl laughed sweetly. "I know, but payback is a bitch." She was obviously referring to the whole week without seeing him. "Look for the blonde with the red scarf. Good luck finding me." And then she hung up.

The werewolf looked around but still no sign of her near the mall.

_"__You wanna play, let's play._" He thought. What Mary didn't know was that Derek could find her by scent if he focused enough. Just a few seconds and he found her.

Walking around the parking lot with no specific direction, there she was; a petite blonde in black boots, blue jeans, white shirt and a red scarf around her neck. Wait, she was _blonde_ - of course he didn't notice her walking out of the mall with that new color.

Derek followed her with a safe distance until the moment she looked over her shoulder and their eyes met. It was definitely Mary, those big blue eyes were enough proof. She smiled shyly and turned around to face him. Derek held his breath as he watched her blonde curls falling over her shoulders gracefully. Her hair looked even longer with that new color but still she looked beautiful, stunning. The smile curving her lips was worth all the money in the world and Derek knew, deep down, that he'd give his entire fortune just to wake up to her every morning.

"You didn't even recognize me when I left the mall." She teased, both hands placed on her waist. "Do I even look good?" He did not hesitate. "Breathtaking." Derek waited to see her cheeks turn red – maybe then he'd know she was in love with him too – but nothing. She just smiled and tilted her head. "That's sweet, thank you."

* * *

**_DECEMBER 14_****_TH_**

_"__Dear diary,_

_I'm sorry I haven't written in a while, but I've been busy with school. I just thought that _you_ – a notebook, yep – would be happy to know that I dyed my hair, now it's the color of the sun! I really like it, to be honest – I needed it._

_Good news; Derek and I are going to New York this Saturday. Mom and Dad didn't like the idea very much; they wanted to formally meet Derek first, which could equally mean 'awkward dinner' for me and extra points for him – and I'm serious, this dinner DID happen. Mom and Dad really like Derek; they ended up finding us a nice Hotel where to stay for a week._

_I'm pretty sure they are suspicious of us – I mean, Derek and I. _

_Truth be told, we became good friends. We even went out for another date (at least I think it was a date) and guess what, he offered me a mixtape. I didn't even know people still made mixtapes but apparently, they do. It's full of old songs and I couldn't possibly be more in love with (_him) _it. _

_Now the bad news; my time is running out and what sucks is that all I can think about is that guy. I go to bed thinking about him, I wake up thinking about him, I drink coffee thinking about him, I… yeah, all the time, you got the point. When we met it was just a crush, it faded with time… but now? I'm completely screwed because it's not a crush anymore, it's much more than that. Sometimes I think he likes me too, but other times, I really don't think so. _

_I hope the next weeks in New York will clear thinks out. I hope..."_

* * *

**Here it issss! I didn't read it before posting so don't mind the mistakes. Annnnnd thank you again for your LOVELY reviews, they fill my heart with joy and motivate me to keep on writing :') **

**So yeah, continue on reviewing please (writers appreciate it eheh), follow or favorite, whatever suits you!**

**LOTS OF LOVE!**


	12. Snow and Ghosts

**Hello everyone! First of all, thank you for all the sweet reviews and I'd like to welcome the new readers! :) Now, since I can't answer most of you in private, I will try my best to answer all the questions now. **

**I noticed a lot of you love Mary and that means SO much to me - I love her more than words will ever describe and I think she's the perfect match for Derek. She's fearless, she's bold and she keeps a positive attitude despite her condition. I've noticed that a lot of you are also worried about her future... I can't tell you much, I don't want to give you spoilers but I can assure you I've got it under control, Derek is going to be with her all the way through ... I KNOW IT'S NOT MUCH, but I really can't/don't want to give you spoilers - I figured out the ending of this fic the moment I started writing it. No need to be worried, my lovelies, I care about Mary way too much to kill her off that easily. :)**

**NOW, this is only the FIRST chapter in New York, lots of stuff are still yet to happen and let's not forget item #2 of her list: a night at a motel! I know you're all waiting for their first kiss and I guess now I can tell you - IT'S CLOSE! eheh :D**

**Ok, enough with my rambling - please enjoy, this is my favorite so far! **

* * *

**_DECEMBER 16_****_TH_**

"No, it's my turn now!" Mary yelled as she shook Derek's hand off the many buttons that controlled the radio. He sighed and looked at her through the corner of his eye. "For the last time _and_ in case you haven't noticed, this is my car, and I'm not listening to Taylor Swift _again_." They were just one hour away from New York, it was getting late and Mary was hungry and bored, and when she's those two things, you better not be around her. "I don't care. I need a distraction; you either find me one or let me sing to Taylor Swift's songs." Derek smirked at the mention of the word 'distraction' but didn't dare to reply. Mary must have taken his silence as a sign of surrender, because next thing he noticed, she was singing at the top of her lungs to one of Taylor Swift's new songs.

"_Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play; and the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake it off, shake it off._" She sang; Mary even tried to dance on her seat but it turned out to be a very hard task; for starters, she was wearing all kinds of winter clothing, and obviously, she didn't have much room to move. "You're lucky you're a good singer, otherwise I'd be driving us back to Beacon Hills." He said, but Mary just shrugged and kept on singing.

The whole time Derek found himself thinking of how healthy she looked, and how great it was that she was alive, breathing and singing as if everything were just fine. Well, they were fine, really. She was fine.

"_My ex man brought his new girlfriend, she's like oh my god, I'm just gonna shake it._" And then, Mary tried to lean in closer to Derek, her nose almost touching his cheek. The words coming out of her mouth felt like feathers against his skin. "_and to the fella over there, with the hella good hair_-" Mary ran her fingers through his hair, sending shivers up and down his spine. "_won't you come over baby, we can shake, shake, shake_…" Derek was about to ask her if she was trying to seduce him but of course it was useless; while the song was still playing, Mary would not shut up.

When it finally ended, Derek rushed to the radio and looked for something more masculine, but the blonde shook him off again. "No way, I need it more than you do!" "I'm not listening to that again, Mary, forget about it." "You won't even notice it's Taylor, I'll sing louder than her." And then Mary chose another song – a romantic one. "Oh God, turn it off, I'm not listening to any more crap." "Don't be such a buzz killer, Derek Hale!"

And then, she leaned in closer to him again – the seat belt was making it difficult for her, but still Mary placed a hand on Derek's shoulder and sang into his ear. "_Do you remember we were sitting there by the water, you put your arm around me for the first time. You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter; you are the best thing that's ever been mine._"

This time, with the warmth of her hand on his shoulder and the softness of her breath against his skin, Derek didn't dare to stop her or to complain. Who, in their perfect mind, would deny Mary Bennett anything?

* * *

New York was beautiful, especially during Christmas season.

Every tree is that city was decorated with lights, there was snow everywhere, people would walk around with the biggest bags from the most expensive stores and, of course, Christmas songs floating through the air – like, literally _everywhere_, even in the Hotel's entrance.

Mary would be lying if she said she was happy that there were two separate beds in their hotel room. "What a surprise." She grumbled. Then, the blonde walked towards the bed closer to the window and jumped on it. The typical Hotel bed; soft and _way_ too comfortable. "I call dibs on this one." She said maybe a little bit louder than she intended. Derek rolled his eyes and smiled. "How about we go downstairs and have dinner?" He suggested. Mary raised an eyebrow and looked down at herself and the clothes she was wearing. "Should I change or are we going out after dinner?" The werewolf shrugged. "If you're not too tired, we could go out. I heard Central Park is beautiful at night, especially during this time of the year."

After dinner, they took a cab and went to Central Park – Derek could have driven them there but Mary insisted on taking a cab. "C'mon, I've never been on a cab! Besides, we're using my dad's credit card."

Central Park – no, New York - was nothing like Beacon Hills, that's for sure, and Derek felt really happy as he watched Mary looking around, her big blue eyes shining and her smile widening. The pavement was covered with snow here and there and the path they took had a trail of footprints on it. It was cold, the kind of cold you'd think would only be possible to experience in Russia, but still Mary Bennett would smile and giggle at everything in sight. "This is soooo beautiful." She said for the hundredth time that night. Her eyes were lifted to the dark sky, the silhouette of the trees maybe; even though they weren't holding hands or even had their arms intertwined, they were walking alongside each other.

For a while the only thing they could hear were their own footsteps smashing the snow but after ten minutes of walking, Derek noticed a small stage near the lake; there was a band playing – probably the kind of band that only covers other artists – and he could see couples dancing, while others would just watch the band, fully concentrated.

"Wait, I know that song!" Mary said happily; without a warning, she grabbed Derek's arms and practically dragged him to a quiet place near the lake, under a tree; even though they were hidden in the shadows, they could still see the band playing on stage from where they stood.

"_She looks so happy"_, he thought.

"Dance with me, please, I love this song." She begged as she placed one of her hands on his shoulder and the other one behind his neck. Derek let out a sigh. He was fluent in many languages, he was a great fighter and he even knew how to cook, but dancing? Oh no. It's not that he was terrible at it, Derek simply didn't like to dance… but there she was, beautiful Mary, using her puppy eyes to persuade him. "Ah, alright…" Again, who would ever deny her anything? Finally, his hands found their way to her waist and the petite blonde giggled; both of them started to slow dance.

"_Darling hold me in your arms the way you did last night_" she sang, incapable of getting rid of the smile on her lips. Her happiness was too ravishing to contain. "_Put your open lips on mine and slowly let them shut, for they're designed to be together, oh, with your body next to mine our hearts will beat as one, and we're set alight, we're afire in love." _Her voice was soft, enchanting, similar to a lullaby, and Derek couldn't help but smile back at her.

Little did he know she sang along with the man on stage just for him. And that she meant every word. Fools in love who wouldn't admit it to each other.

"You're a terrible singer." He lied. Mary tapped him on the shoulder and laughed. "If we're playing the lying game, then I-" it took her a while to think of something to say; he watched as she raised an eyebrow and then, with a grin, she finally said quite confidently "-I guess I hate you."

For a moment Derek didn't know whether to a) smile and say it back, or b) to look away and ignore those words.

That was the confirmation, right? The confirmation that Mary didn't just like him as a friend, the confirmation that it wasn't one sided. She _really_ liked him; _cared for him._ It was reciprocal… _right?_

The green eyed man took a deep breath and looked down to her beautiful blue eyes - so hopeful but so scared at the same time.

"And you're ugly, I wish you had another face." Mary laughed nervously, but this time she didn't tap him on his shoulder. Her eyes softened and her sweet smile turned into an insecure one."I hate you, Derek Hale." She insisted, her voice weakening, _terrified._ He did not reply, the werewolf just kept on gazing at her, his hands pulling her closer to him without even being aware of it, at least not until Mary's thin body was completely glued to his. "And I think you hate me too." She repeated, this time more clearly but still she looked scared; scared of putting the cards on the table and scared of being rejected. It was a shot in the dark.

Even though Derek wanted to say it back, he just couldn't. Damn it, he was completely in love with her but why couldn't he pronounce the right words? Instead, he smiled – a genuine but sad smile -, leaned in closer and kissed her forehead, his lips places on her skin maybe just a few more seconds than they should.

Derek swore he could hear her heart shattering, or maybe it was his.

* * *

On their way back to the Hotel, Mary was more quiet than usual; she didn't make jokes nor tried to challenge him with philosophical questions. In fact, when Derek tried to chat with her, she cut him off carefully and forced a smile. "Aren't you cold?" "I'm fine, thank you." "You're turning blue, Mary." "I told you, I'm fine."

He knew she was hurt but there was nothing he could do to ease her pain – at least not _that kind_ of pain.

She was the first one to go to bed; when Derek turned off the lights and lied down he decided to sleep on his side, that way he'd be face to face with Mary. "You ok?" He whispered. The werewolf got nothing more than a sad "Uh-uhm." Two seconds. Four seconds. Ten seconds. "Have a good night." He murmured. She didn't answer right away, but just when Derek thought she was not going to say anything at all, she did. "You too."

Because that was Mary – sweet and polite, even if he did not deserve it.

* * *

Truth is Mary wasn't able to fall sleep. It was almost three in the morning and still she would toss and turn under the sheets without finding a comfortable position to sleep in. "God damn it…" She thought as she let out a long sigh. It was hard to fall asleep in a strange bed, especially when you're in the same room as the person you have feeling for. Oh, but that wasn't all; when everything's going well, your mind tends to drift off to a dark place; Mary's dark place was the future, mostly because there was no future for her. No career, no family, nothing.

"Can't sleep?" That hoarse and familiar voice wasn't exactly a surprise. It was dark but thank god the moonlight found its way into that room and was gentle enough to give her a little glimpse of Derek's face. The blonde found him lying on his side, shirtless, with his fearless green eyes gazing at her.

"I'm way too comfortable, I guess." She whispered. Derek hesitated before speaking again. "You wanna watch TV?" "I don't think so…" And then, the blonde sat down on her bed and wrapped her arms around her legs, her chin placed on the knees. Derek could tell by the look on her face that she was physically with him but her thoughts were wandering around New York, or maybe Beacon Hills, or the whole universe – with her, it was really hard to tell.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Mary asked in a whisper. "Sure."

"I'm terrified of dying." She started, her voice weakening word by word. "Sometimes I think I'm ok with it but I'm not." Her big blue eyes were closed but there was something coming out of them – tears, silent tears. "One of my biggest dreams was to have kids, someday… I mean that would be after I become a famous swimmer and participate on the Olympics." Her bottom lip quivered and it took her a few moments to continue. "It's awful when you have everything planned out and then something happens and completely ruins your dreams."

Then, as if nothing had just happened, Mary opened her eyes, cleared away the tears with the back of her hand and smiled. "I'm such a baby, I'm sorry."

To be honest, Derek was perfectly aware that Mary only had a few weeks left to live – and that was technically, because he could always do what he did at the hospital, almost two months ago; what he didn't know was what was going on inside her head, the constant struggle between '_i don't mind dying'_ and the '_but what about my future_?'. He didn't have to think about those things. Of course Derek was a werewolf and danger could be just around the corner; he knew he could eventually die but never really thought it could happen _now,_ while he was still relatively young.

To live with a deadline, to count the days until your last breath, _that_ should be the most terrifying thing to deal with.

And his Mary, his most treasured human, was forced to be dealing with it.

"And I swear, sometimes it gets so hard… I mean- Isn't giving up allowed sometimes?" She asked hopelessly; their eyes locked – he swore hers were empty, and it scared him. "Aren't I allowed to say 'this really hurts, so I'm going to stop trying'…?"

What Derek didn't know was that now Mary wasn't just talking about her medical condition – she was actually talking about him and how much she was starting to love him, how much it hurt her and how much she wanted to give him up but simply couldn't find the strength to do so. It was terrible to have no feedback but what was even more painful was knowing she could never have him – knowing that, eventually, one day, after she was gone, Derek would meet another girl and maybe make her his wife, and have kids with her, _settle_ with her.

Oh Christ, Mary was being so unreasonably selfish.

Sometimes she wanted to give him up and suddenly it wasn't just about Derek. It was also about her – sometimes she wanted to give up _everything_ with her own hands, because there was no way in hell an aneurysm would kill her without her permission – but then she'd tell herself '_that's just the depression talking'_.

"Come here." The words came out of his mouth too quickly and, for a moment, the blonde looked so terribly confused. However, it didn't take her look to slip out of her bed and quickly get into his. The bed wasn't exactly big but, somehow, it turned out to be the perfect size for them. "I don't want you to think about that kind of stuff now. You'll be fine. I promise. I won't let anything happen to you, Mary." He meant every word. As long as Derek was still alive, she would live too, even if it meant using all his energy on her to reduce the aneurysm, even if it meant doing it for a long time. He was not going to let her die. She would live to become all the things she wanted, whether it was a professional swimmer or a mom.

When she smiled, she looked sad and hopeless; of course she didn't believe Derek, and why would she? To Mary, he was just another powerless human. "Alrigth..."

Eventually, the blonde fell asleep next to him. At first their bodies didn't dare to touch and face the awkwardness in the morning but then, after falling asleep, Mary found herself looking for warmth and comfort; she involuntarily wrapped her arms and legs around the werewolf and leaned her forehead against his chest, while a very awake Derek just played with her hair and watched her sleeping quietly next to him.

* * *

**_DECEMBER 17_****_TH_**

When Derek woke up the next morning, Mary was still peacefully asleep in his arms; it was good knowing she was safely breathing against the curve of his neck – sometimes she would even mumble in her sleep and say words he didn't quite understand, but they were probably nice words from a nice dream, taking in consideration the smile on her lips. Too bad the werewolf needed to go to the bathroom and take a shower before breakfast.

He tried his best to get out of bed without waking her up – praise the Lord Mary usually slept like a rock. The only thing she did when Derek left her side was roll on her tummy, spread her arms and legs (just like babies do) and, finally, just continue on sleeping. "_Adorable_", he thought before silently walking into the bathroom. He could have locked the door but something told him not to. He wasn't exactly sure why, but it didn't matter, right? After all, he'd just be fooling himself if he had said he didn't want Mary to suddenly get in and see him (naked).

* * *

You know that feeling when you're really comfortable and warm when you fall asleep but then, just as you start dreaming of fairytales and a prince riding on a white horse to rescue you from a dragon, the warmth is taken away from you and what felt like heaven now feels like the freaking North Pole? You know that feeling, right?

Well, let's make it even more uncomfortable and add a growing headache to it.

"Derek…" the blonde murmured before opening her eyes. It wasn't exactly morning yet; the sky was colored in a dark blue but if you looked just a little bit longer, you'd catch a glimpse of yellow and orange sipping into the darkness, almost unnoticeable to the naked eye. However, Mary didn't pay attention to it nor she cared – well, she would have if it weren't for the headache. "No, no…" she murmured in pain. It was the stupid aneurysm, it had to be it. "Derek!" She shouted – Mary could hear the water running in the other room and her heart skipped a beat as she realized Derek couldn't hear her. Panic took advantage of her body and somehow the blonde managed to get out of the bed without falling to the ground or tripping on her own feet.

She rushed to the bathroom and opened the door without even knocking.

* * *

**Part 2 of this one is still half written but I'll most definitely update the fic as soon as I get back to Lisbon, which is on Sunday night. :) At least I'll try! ****Ok, I hope you liked it! As I said before this is one of my favorites, I wrote it on my notebook after classes, on a cafe (i'm so lame). OH AND I JUST REMEMBER, I saw a girl on the bus that looked EXACTLY like Mary, except this girl's hair was dyed red. Anyway she was GORGEOUS and the whole time I was thinking 'omg you're my mary, you hair is just the wrong color!'.**

**I'm so silly, I'm sorry! Please review, favorite or follow, whatever suits you! :')**

**As always, thank you for reading, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU! **

**LOTS OF LOVE! x **


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